Watching over ourselves

I was looking at the New York Times's front page, and I was surprised to see two graphics showing whether people think McCain and Obama spend more time explaining what they would do in office versus attacking their rival. According to the poll, 61 percent of all registered voters think McCain spends more time attacking his opponent than explaining his plans, while only 27 percent of voters think Obama uses more of his time attacking his opponent. I thought this was an intersting approach to the election, especially because campaigns have turned negative.

As the election draws to a close, this is the most important time for candidates to be sharing their views on issues, and I think it is the journalists job to get the candidates to answer the those questions. We are the watchdogs of the goverment and it is our job to ask the tough questions. If we don't do it, who will? How can the public make an informed decision if they don't know what the candidates plan to do once they get into office?

While I think this is a newsworthy graphic for the public, I also think this graphic and even the story that is packaged with it, Poll says McCain is hurting his bid by using attacks, should be a wake up call to journalists that we need to do more to inform the public about the candidates' stance on the issues.