Chester First Selectman Tom Marsh, who is on the November ballot as the Independent Party candidate’s for governor, is tired of being ignored and marginalized by debate organizers and the news media. Last week the Blog-o-Rama reported that he’s raised a paltry $10,000 and has a little more than $300 available to spend, compared to the million$ being invested by Republican Tom Foley and Democrat Dannel Malloy. Here’s Marsh’s release from last week:
“Chester, Connecticut — October 17, 2010 — We all know that some of the press are not entirely objective in their reporting. But the public depends on our major media outlets, particularly our television and radio stations, for information about important political races like the Connecticut Governor’s race. And when those outlets intentionally distort the facts, that is unacceptable.
Such is the case with the recent treatment of Tom Marsh, the Independent Party candidate for Governor. One of Connecticut’s major network affiliates, for instance, in their coverage of a debate sponsored by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, took great pains to present video footage that showed only two candidates, though Mr. Marsh was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder between candidates Foley and Malloy. The audio of the story stated that “the two major candidates” addressed a forum of Connecticut’s Mayors and First Selectmen. Prominent regional radio coverage similarly indicated that the “two” candidates for governor addressed the group. Similar coverage was presented by various news agencies of a candidate forum on tourism in which Marsh also participated.Garnering press coverage is a well-known challenge faced by third party candidates. The difference however, between providing little coverage for minor candidates, and intentional misrepresentation by failing to report who participated, crosses the line. After all, if we accept this behavior from our press, why not take it to the next level and allow them to report on the single candidate that they support or the candidate that leads in the polls?Mr. Marsh will be participating in two gubernatorial candidate forums during the coming week. On Monday he will be taking part in a forum to discuss energy, the economy and the environment sponsored by among others, Connecticut Fund for the Environment. On Friday, Mr. Marsh will be participating in a forum on children’s mental health issues sponsored by the Keep the Promise Coalition.