Anchor - Interviewer: Stephanie Hughes 630/420-4233
Guest Resources: Naperville Sun Editorial Management &/or
                                Political Reporter, Katie Foutz (630/416-5216)

Below is the ground we would like to cover in-depth in the hour we will have. The audience may ask brief questions as we proceed. If more time is needed, the audience discussion may be extended beyond 10:15 for up to about 20 minutes. And during that time a short video on "Black Box Voting" featuring investigator Bev Harris and Vt. Governor John Dean will be played.

1. Political Press Overview. Over the past few years, what has the paper seen as its political press responsibility to the public in regard to voter participation in the April and November elections? What kinds of information is it providing, when and in what format? What summary information do you print in "box form"? (Up to 3 min)
2. Nonpartisan voter guides for each race that will be on the local ballot in other places and in some years past here (see an example) have provided voters with relevant information they need to make informed voting decisions. What could and will your newspaper be providing this year? What are any barriers to regular provision of these services? The most useable guides are in pullout-sections featuring for each race (local, county, state and federal) information on each candidate in side-by-side columns covering:
   
a. Name, birth date, address, phone, fax, email, website
b. Education and experience
c. Philosophy, positions and priorities for the job to be done in office
d. Answers to citizens-panel-generated questions on the issues most central and
important to the work of this office in the upcoming terms.
e. Candidate summary statement.


3. Candidate Forums and Debates, live and broadcast, at which all candidates running for a particular office (or a stand-in if an candidate cannot participate) that address the issues most relevant and critical to the office have proven to be of vital help to the voting public. What could the press and Election Commissions be doing to
   a. Facilitate the scheduling, and candidate and community participation?
   b. Arrange and promote broadcasts and repeat broadcasts?
   c. Cover the substance of these in the newspaper?
4. Newspaper Work. Reporter’s and editor’s have considerable civic influence and the work is demanding. a) What is the typical background and preparation particularly your own for your political press work? b) How many stories on what range of matters are your assigned to cover in a week? c) How long do you have to cover, research and write a story -- lapsed and cumulative? d) When are your deadlines -- and can they be extended a day or more if you need more time to do a good job?
   e) How many stories do you tend to be working on at a time? f) Is your work edited much? For what?
5. Use of web-based candidate information resources. The Chicago Tribune, DNET, and VoteSmart are web-based repositories of information from the candidates for federal and some state offices. There seems to be a dearth of web-based information on candidates for county and local and some state races. How do you use and direct readers to use such sources? What do you do and might you do to build and draw on and direct voters to web-based information on the grassroots as well as the bigger races? Will you reprint this candidate information in your paper’s Nonpartisan Voter Guides?
6. Candidate Endorsements. Why, when and how do you endorse candidates? Who are involved and what criteria are used in endorsement decisions?
7. Accuracy Questions and Controversies. What have been your experiences, policies and practices been in regard to Corrections and Equal Time Issues? How do you get race results? Do you check to see that race results have been checked and corroborated, and how? How would you deal with questions of accuracy coming from individuals? Might you use "experts’ investigation and comments" and "citizen juries" approaches?
8. Ballot publication. Do you print the ballot a few days before voting day?
9. Readers’ and Citizens Roles. What does the political press want from people and organizations in the community -- what is especially is needed, lacking here and now?
10. Open-Ended Questions, Comments, Ideas from audience and speakers