Wednesday, October 08, 2008

An open letter to the editor of "The Outlook"

To the editor of "The Outlook":

In the October 6th 2008 edition of "The Outlook", I was pleased to find profiles of the various candidates in the Blackstrap riding, but dismayed to see that there was no mention Imre Pallagi, the candidate for the Green Party of Canada. Mr. Pallagi was also not included in the candidates forum held at the Civic Center on October 8th. At that forum, Tim Holtorf explained the absence of Mr. Pallagi by saying that the staff at your publication were not aware that the Green Party had a candidate running in this riding.

Is your staff is unable or unwilling to do the basic research required to find such widely available, simple, public information? Information on Mr Pallagi's candidacy can be easily found on the official Elections Canada website, on the official Green Party of Canada website, and on major news organizations riding profiles such as the CBC. With the amount of data literally at our fingertips in this day and age, there is simply no excuse for not knowing, especially for something as critical to the operation of our democracy as a general election.

The Green Party of Canada has a platform addressing much more than just environmental issues, is running a full slate of candidates across the country, and has the support of a significant portion of the electorate (according to recent polls, more than 1 in 10 voters). The recent furor over the attempt to exclude Elizabeth May from the televised leaders' debate shows that the people of Canada are interested in hearing what the Green Party has to offer, and I believe that your readers should have the opportunity as well. By excluding Mr. Pallagi from your publication's election coverage and from the candidates forum, you have done a disservice to your readers and to the constituents of Blackstrap. I hope to see a higher standard of professionalism and journalistic integrity from "The Outlook" in the future.

Sincerely yours,

Kirk Friggstad, Outlook, Saskatchewan

P.S. - In the interest of full disclosure, I should inform you that I am a member of the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Saskatchewan, and volunteer as webmaster for the Green Party of Saskatchewan, but have no involvement in the current federal election as anything other than a voter and concerned citizen, and do not serve in any official capacity in the campaign of Mr. Pallagi or any other candidate in any federal riding.