for an election here in Mesa featuring incumbent Hizzoner John Giles who's in-the-running to get elected to a 2nd term in-office.
TMG CEO Steve Strickbine needs to pump up the hard-copy distribution figures to add 40,000 copies enclosing paid advertising.The target: northeast Mesa, a stronghold of supporters that delivered 74% of the votes cast the last time around
Strickbine's new gambit is a one-day a week dump of pulp fictipon in the driveways - It's the Sunday Edition, renamed the namesake Mesa Tribune that used to headline THE TRUTH.
That's a different story from Phil Boas . . .
Opinion:
‘The Arizona Republic’ will no longer make candidate endorsements. Here’s why.
Readers have made it clear:
You want to be informed about elections but not told how to vote.
We hear you.
By Phil Boas | The Republic AZ Central 02.26.2020
Our highest calling as a news organization is to bring you important facts quickly and accurately so you can make informed decisions. You need information to understand your community, to seize its opportunities and help solve its problems.
In a democracy, newspapers are your eyes and ears on government, courts, police departments, public schools, anywhere the people’s business is conducted.
The information we bring you is essential to holding your government accountable.
So, today we announce a consequential change; The Arizona Republic will no longer endorse candidates for public office.
. . . more and more of today’s readers see candidate endorsements as an intrusion on the electoral process.
They tell us our endorsements alienate them and blur the way they read our news stories. They don’t see the sharp line we draw between our news and opinion content. . .
Our pages will continue to weigh in on large policy issues, including ballot initiatives, but will step back from recommending candidates in the more partisan arena of electoral politics. Choosing candidates has sometimes inhibited our ability to further the dialogue, because many readers think our endorsements compromise our analysis.
We won’t disappear at election time. Our editors and writers are redefining our role as we frame the issues in state and regional elections. We will inform with perspective and opinion about the major races as they unfold and will raise red flags when we see candidates violating traditional norms."
