OK, perhaps a bit of hyperbole in that title but we made a difference. And we were only able to make a difference because a reader acted as our eyes and ears and clued us in. And yes, GraniteGrok will now be at the Peterborough League of Women Voters’ Candidate night – at least videoing it and livestreaming if we can get a decent Internet Connection.
Steve started the ball rolling with his original post “What is the NH League of Women Voters Afraid of in Peterborough?” (reformatted, emphasis mine):
The New Hampshire League of Women Voters is sponsoring a ‘candidates forum’ in Peterborough, and they’ve instituted a near-total media blackout. No recording will be permitted. Why? Well, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript will be there to control the message. Sounds sketchy. A pro-vote fraud group (yes, they are) schedules a candidates forum but only allows one media outlet to document the details? What is it they are trying to hide?
Why won’t they allow private citizens to stream portions of the event or record them? The Ledger-Transcript, no offense, has significantly fewer viewers/readers online than even GraniteGrok. How do they expect citizens to learn about these candidates unless new media and citizen journalists are permitted to document their statements and any Q and A and share that? Maybe that’s the point.
Well, let’s start from the start – this is what was sent to us (a bit of fisking from me here):
Dear Candidate,
With less than a week to go before our “Meet the Candidates” Candidate Forum in co-sponsorship with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, we would like to let you know how the evening’s event will be structured.
Date: May 6, 2019
Time: 7-9 pm. CANDIDATES PLEASE ARRIVE: 6:40 pm.
Place: Bass Hall at The Monadnock Center for History and Culture, 19 Grove StreetThe League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization dedicated to informing the voting public…
Sorry, but the phrase “non-partisan” has become a throw-away phrase that means nothing at all. In watching NH politics, it is CLEAR that the LWV is biased as their own actions have proved it (re: here, here, and here – when have they sided with a Conservative agenda item? I certainly can’t remember a single time). Let’s make it clear – GraniteGrok IS partisan and we make no secret of it. In fact, unlike almost any other NH media site, we have been Consistent and that Consistency is Constitutionally based and on Conservatarian Principles. There, I’ve said it again.
One of our voter service activities is hosting candidate forums in order to allow the public to meet the candidates and hear their views on a variety of topics. The PeterboroughPlus unit hosted last year’s Peterborough Candidate Forum (also moderated by Liz Tentarelli, President of LWVNH) as well as Candidate Forums for House of Representatives and State Senate races. We have a proven track record for fair, informative, non-partisan Candidate Forums.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT EVENT PROTOCOL
• There will be a table for Candidate Literature in the front entryway to Bass Hall. You may not place candidate literature anywhere other than this table. No candidate signs allowed.
• No filming or videotaping allowed. The Ledger-Transcript will cover the event and they are permitted to take photographs.
And that’s what caught our attention – no recording at all? We’ve had Candidate Nights since forever in my hamlet – NEVER has such a stricture been in place. Remember, candidates have made themselves public figures by signing up and they are on public display in a public venue; this also sent to us:
So no doubt this is a public forum. So why no recording? Not only that, their “protocol” leaves little time for candidates to really express themselves. Sure, with 10 Candidates running, time management is a given but boy, I think they went overboard – a couple of samples:
- …Liz will invite you to stand and introduce yourselves in no more than TWO SENTENCES.
- …Opening Statements: 1 minute max.
- …moderator will use questions that have been submitted to the newspaper, and questions written by audience members at the Candidate Forum. Please note that written questions will stay in LWV possession after the event.
My, my – why the secretiveness? Copy machines have been around for, oh, decades – and didn’t we all learn that “sharing is caring” (heh!) back in kindergarten? This was the other thing that caught my attention – why such tight fisted control on content? Isn’t that why people would be coming to the event – freedom to express ideas?
- …TWO minutes per answer, so please plan accordingly. The League has timers who will alert you when you have 30 seconds left (yellow paddle) and when your time is up (red paddle).
- …Written questions only, no impromptu oral questions from the floor.
Well guess who gets to control the agenda? Cynical I may be but can’t have any spoilers showing up, eh? Hey, if a candidate can’t handle a question, who can’t compete in the arena of ideas, well, you know what my regular answer is, dontcha? I’ve been to places where the questions have been rigged to favor issues, candidates, or personalities.
I’ll post the whole thing (only a wee bit left) later on, but the tipping point was what our source tagged us on:
Peterborough Candidate Forum doesn’t allow video recording? Something tells me that’s illegal.
And, indeed, it isn’t legal at all.
Part 2 in a bit…
Here’s the doc that was send out: Invite-PBoro Candidate Forum May 2019