An OPEN LETTER to the American News Media

Dear newspapers, television, and radio news stations:

The role that the media plays in informing the public on issues of national importance is a vital one, and one that many of you see yourselves as responsible to uphold. As we all know, the electorate that is fully informed is the electorate most able to make a good choice at the polls in picking its leaders. Unfortunately, due in large part to your behavior during this election cycle, many voters will go to the polls on November 4th unprepared to make that decision.

The press' refusal to equally and critically examine both of the candidates for President and Vice President, as well as the roots of the present economic crisis, can only have one effect: hindering the American public from exercising their right to choose their own leadership. While Senator McCain's experiences are largely a matter of public record, whom Senator Obama associates with and much of his past (and particularly the experiences upon which he has built his argument about his qualifications to lead the country) remains unknown to the public. Likewise, the roles of individuals in both parties in the regulation and attempted reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the creation of the rules encouraging these and other institutions to give bad loans, and the lobbying efforts of these organizations, have remained obscure.

If the American public is uninformed about the present financial situation, how can they find their way out of it? If the American voters are uninformed about the candidates for the highest office in the land, how can they properly utilize their right to vote?

Enough is enough. The use of political commentary cannot replace the media's role in investigating and reporting facts.

We, the undersigned, demand that the American media provide facts, not spin. We, your audience, demand that the media present both sides in this election equally and critically. We, as Americans, demand that you, as fellow Americans, respect our right to make our own decisions based on facts, not opinion.