Analysis:

There are less than two weeks until the August 2nd primary vote, and WZZM has yet to give viewers any substantive information about any of the candidates. This piece is a good example of this trend. In the piece it is reported that the Mayor is endorsing candidate Rosalynn Bliss. What was not reported are Mayor Heartwell's reasons for endorsing Bliss. Nor was Bliss interviewed or any part of her platform or issue positions explored. This is true of WZZM’s coverage of all the candidates for the upcoming primary election, whether they be Grand Rapids City commission, library board, or Wyoming Mayor.

While the newsreader lists the names of the candidates for the second ward, the candidates for the first and third wards are not even mentioned as, according to the newsreader, these races may not “hotly contested.” The piece seems to imply that since there is an incumbent running in the third and first wards, that somehow these races will not be competitive and therefore do not merit reporting. It is worth asking if this sort of attitude toward races involving incumbents serves to help the viewer become and informed voter.

As with the handful of other election related stories aired on WZZM 13, this piece ends with the newsreader noting that if viewers want to learn more about the candidates, to visit the links provided on www.wzzm.org. In the online version of this story, a link is provided that goes to a Kent County page that lists the candidates name. This page provides no other information about the candidates, nor is any information provided on WZZM’s website.

Story:

WZZM 13 Newsreader – the political season is heating up in Grand Rapids with primary elections right around the corner. Now this year the vote in August includes several races in city government. This morning Mayor George Heatwell endorsed a city commission candidate in Ward 2. the Mayor lives in that district and says that he has chosen to endorse Rosalynn Bliss. She is running for an open seat currently held by Lynn Rabaut who has chosen not to run again. In the Aug 2nd primary election Bliss will be up against Shaula Johnston and Arthur Croon. In addition to that race, wards one and three have multiple candidates, but both have incumbents seeking reelection, so those may not be as hotly contested as ward two should be.

And on a related note, something that will be new for those going to the polls in August; no more punch cards in Grand Rapids. Today poll volunteers learned how to use the new optical scanning machines. They were paid for with federal money from the Help America Vote Act. If you want to see all the candidates who are running in the primary, just go to news links at WZZM13.com

Total Time: 59 seconds