COMMENTARY
Joan Krauter x jkrauter@bradenton.com
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Political campaign seasons always bring a spike in Letters to the Editor, and this year's primary and presidential election have certainly stoked the flames. But as Editorial Page Editor Chris Wille was wading through all the letters a couple weeks ago, one letter stood out.
It was penned by a 12-year-old Bradenton girl during the Democratic convention. She was challenging the balance of our coverage in the Bradenton Herald:
Dear Editor,
My name is Lydia Coblentz, I am twelve years of age. It looks as if the media is putting alot of Sen. Barack Obama statements, what he is doing, people that will work for him and other great stuff. And that is great but a lot of people would also want to know what Sen. John McCain says about what he will do and how he is going to do this. Because all people are not for Obama. The media is not being equal on TV and in the Newspaper. I am writing because I had a Newspaper work assignment and I was reading over in the Bradenton Herald and found that the media was more into Obama than McCain.
Lydia Coblentz
Bradenton
Why did this letter catch our eye? Readers almost always accuse the media of bias - in fact, we figure we might have done something right if we get accused from both the liberal and conservative camps that our coverage leaned the other way.
But this was no seasoned politicker - or at least I didn't think so at the time. Somehow, the very fact that a 12-year-old was reading the newspaper and speaking her mind filled me with hope.
Hope that what we do as journalists will still matter years from now. Hope that young children value the true freedom of speech. Hope that the written word continues to hold value for all of us.
I almost called Lydia that day, wanting to let her know that we have that discussion every day at our news huddles. I wanted to explain to her that the Democrats had center stage that week in Denver, and that she should wait a week - it'd be the Republicans' turn in Minnesota.
But I decided to let both conventions play out and then see what Lydia thought. I called the Coblentzes' home yesterday, and Lydia answered the phone. My first question was whether it was OK with her mom or dad that we talk. Her emphatic "yes" was quickly followed by a question to her mom, making sure.
I knew right then that she had written that letter on her own.
It turns out Lydia is a home-schooled seventh-grader, and comparing the newspaper each day is one of her language arts assignments.
"I just noticed that there was so much coverage, and I saw so much about Obama," Lydia said. "I wanted to know why."
She got a little shy then, and her mom got on the phone. But Lydia wasn't going anywhere - she wanted to continue the conversation through her mom.
"Lydia didn't know at the time that the convention had started," Joy Coblentz said. "She really started to pay attention to who the stories were about, and noticed that any type of media was more Obama than McCain."
Then in the past week, Lydia noticed that the media had turned its focus to the GOP Convention and John McCain. She hadn't finished that part of her homework yet, and they hadn't read Saturday's paper yet, but both mom and daughter said the coverage seemed equal.
And what is getting all the attention now?
"Sarah Palin," Lydia said without hesitation. "Now, they're talking about Palin more than anything else."
Asked what part of the newspaper she enjoyed, Lydia said, "I'm usually into the letters to the editor because I like to see what others have to say."
That didn't surprise her mom at all.
"She's always been opinionated - sometimes unfortunately," Joy said. I could actually hear her smiling.
"Lydia's one of four children," Mom added proudly. "And that's why, when you're the third girl and there's a boy, you have to get your opinion out there."
Thanks for holding us accountable, Lydia. We're lucky to have you as one of our readers.
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