Thanks for the heads up, Bridgeport

Connecticut is actually fortunate in the statewide, original, in-depth, locally generated media coverage it enjoys as compared with the situation in some other states. There are four good TV stations, out of Hartford and/or New Haven, that make real efforts to cover breaking news as well as longer-view stories in the state. There are good websites, including ctnewsjunkie.com and ctmirror.org, that provide excellent political and general regional coverage and keep on top of Connecticut’s breaking news as well. Even some radio stations get in on the fun.

And for all the complaining state residents do about daily newspapers, as well as predicting the imminent demise of print journalism, some of the best statewide coverage is still done by the Hartford Courant, the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, the New London Day and the Waterbury Republican. The smaller market dailies, such as the Torrington Register Citizen and Danbury News-Times, also do pretty well keeping their readers informed of breaking news events in their regions. Even little community weekly newspapers like the three published by The Lakeville Journal Company play their part in keeping the public informed.

Disagree? Consider the fiasco in Bridgeport during the midterm election voting on Tuesday, Nov. 2, a drama that is still unfolding. Think about all the information those plugged into these news outlets received from Election Day on: The TV stations were on site in Bridgeport the afternoon of the election, airing video of long, long lines of frustrated citizens awaiting their chance to exercise their right to vote. Does anyone believe, after seeing that footage, that there were no disenfranchised voters in Bridgeport?

The newspapers gave ongoing perspective on the events caused by the city’s ordering about 21,000 printed ballots for more than 69,000 registered voters. TV, print and online reporters kept on top of Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz as she first declared Democrat Dan Malloy the “unofficial winner†in the race for governor, then backed off and said those asking for the official results would need to wait. Malloy is now the official winner, but quite understandably Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley at first questioned that outcome. He has now conceded

Now, imagine the events in Bridgeport with no media coverage. After all, if the more local media outlets disappear, it is unlikely that Google or Yahoo news, or even FoxNews, CNN or MSNBC, will station any of their employees on the streets of Bridgeport on any Election Day. The pleas made from polling centers and voters in Bridgeport to the state’s media to take notice of the mess that was unfolding Nov. 2 would very likely fall on deaf ears at national or international news outlets. Bridgeport is neither the largest nor the most lucrative market on which the almighty mass media would be tempted to focus its cash-driven eye.  

What could the outcome be in such situations as the one precipitated by the monumental voting problems in Bridgeport if state coverage weakens more or disappears? Could be that voters are prevented from casting their votes in a vacuum, with no voice to question the process. Perhaps a bag of ballots, or more than a bag, could disappear into a Dumpster rather than being counted. With no oversight, governmental actions and processes can take on a life of their own.

If only human nature were less in need of such accountability in order to function fairly and with justice for all. The argument for the public to strongly support Connecticut’s statewide, locally based media at all levels has been eloquently made in Bridgeport. 

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