"Running fair": the right course

Political campaigns in America have always been rough. But polls show most Americans believe our politics are becoming more mean-spirited and too lacking in substance.

Given the importance of protecting First Amendment freedoms, it is not always easy to draw a line between "rough" and "wrong."

Believing that voters, not the candidates, have the right to set standards for political campaigns, the New York-based Markle Foundation is supporting "run fair" initiatives by the League of Women Voters and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). "Run fair" is designed to break the cycle of negative and misleading political advertising, especially on television.

This reform effort deserves our attention and our emulation.

The League has developed criteria to judge fair campaign advertising. These include admonitions to end character defamation, misrepresentation of facts, appeals to racial and ethnic prejudices and other unfair and denigrating practices. Markle and the League believe these campaign practices increases public disgust with government, reduce voter turnout and corrupt our democracy.

The American Association of Political Consultants, whose members are responsible for much of the political advertising we see, has also developed a Code of Ethics that contains many of the same items as the League's.

Several print and broadcast media organization, including the Rocky Mountain News, are also committed to help the public evaluate political campaigns. For example, the Boston Globe has initiated a column called "Campaign Ad Watch," which reviews each campaign ad used in the New Hampshire primary by naming the ad's producer, reprinting the entire script and then asking, "Is it accurate?"

After reviewing codes and guidelines drawn from various professional and political reform groups, my "run fair" standards include the following:

1. A candidate should appear and speak in all ads placed by his or her campaign.
   
2. Ads placed by groups supporting a candidate should carry a picture of the candidate and the candidate's name.
   
3. Campaign advertising should not use character defamation, libel, slander or personal attacks against candidates or their private lives.
   
4. Candidates should not use distorted, misrepresented or falsified information.
   
5. Candidates should not resort to malicious or unfounded accusations that question an individual's loyalty or patriotism.
   
6. There should be no appeal to prejudice based on race, sex, religion, national origin or age.
   
7. Each campaign ad should be backed up by a "public advisory" that accurately and fully documents any criticism of an opponent or his or her record.
   
8. Candidates should engage early and often in face-to-face televised debates using a variety of formats. Debates are the best way to achieve truth in advertising.
   
9. Media should not print or broadcast election eve "surprises" -- ads or news stories that contain accusations or revelations issued the weekend prior to an election -- without giving equal and simultaneous coverage to the response of the accused.
   

This is a start. "Run fair" guidelines are needed to encourage the candidate's personal responsibility, so he or she can be held accountable by the public. As the public moves to take back the election process, they have a right to expect help form the media.