May 4, 2009 12:00 PM
The Missouri Record was launched to address three prominent problems and complicated issues in the discussion of state politics and policy.
First. it is difficult to communicate ideas with others throughout the state. Candidate or issue campaigns are too dependent upon newspapers and broadcasters to get their story out to voters across the state. Even if existing media are ideologically predisposed to carry the message, campaigns have to battle for column inches against other important stories and against media fatigue and cynicism.
Second, if one is lucky enough to get media attention, that coverage is often focused on process, not substance: who is winning what court battle, the he said, she said standard of equal time that doesn't assess the substance of what is being presented, and the vagaries of opinion polls. While these aspects are important, they fail to capture the most important part of a campaign: the ideas behind it and its opposition.
Thirdly, the results of these first two problems means that in order to communicate one's views, one must be willing to launch one's own web log or web site keep posting on it long after you run out of things to say. This is a lot to go through just to present your ideas to others.
We offer The Missouri Record as a solution. It is an independent publication, not beholden to a party or ideology, any candidate or issue, any consultant or client.
Rather than a blog or a news site, The Missouri Record is intended to serve as an interactive statewide commentary or Op-ed section of a newspaper. We need all Missourians to share their views on politics and policy.
I recommend Jason Barnes' expanded piece on our core principles, and I look forward to reading your submissions.
Patrick Tuohey is president of Market and Communications Research Inc., a public opinion and communication research firm he founded in 1999. He and his wife Michelle live in Kansas City, Missouri with their three daughters.
The Missouri Record is intended to serve as a statewide commentary or Op-ed section of a newspaper.
