South Dakota Politics

KELO: Kranz a panelist, not the moderator

Mark Millage, news director for KELO-TV, sends along this e-mail:

Jason:
You need to know, and you need to let your readers know, that Dave Kranz is not, and never has been, the moderator in the upcoming KELO-TV/Argus Leader US Senate debate (Monday, 10/11). Steve Hemmingsen of KELO-TV is the moderator. Steve (representing KELO) and Dave (representing the Argus) will be asking the questions. This was the format agreed upon by both candidates. I don't know where your misinformation came from, but thought you and your readers deserved to know the truth. Please contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,
Mark Millage
News Director, KELO-TV

I apologize for the slight inaccuracy of saying David Kranz is the "moderator" of the debate. The point is that David Kranz should not in any way be involved in any debate between John Thune and Senator Daschle. He should not be involved because of his links to and biased reporting about Senator Daschle, and the documented fact that he has in the past worked behind the scenes to advance the interests of Democratic politicians in this state in his capacity as a "journalist." Mitch Krebs, the anchor for a competing station, was pulled from participating in a debate in 2002 because he was an MC at a GOP event. By that standard, Mr. Kranz should not participate in this debate, either.

This is not in any way a commentary on David Kranz as a person, only a commentary on his capacity as a journalist. I know many people who say Mr. Kranz is a kind, good-hearted, and warm person. However, I think that reasonable people could question his ability to be fair and impartial in asking questions at the KELO-TV debate on October 11. Mr. Kranz should not be involved in this debate in any way.

To see my original post on the matter, click HERE.

CJR on KELO-TV's scrutiny of campaign ads

The Columbia Journalism Review's "Campaign Desk" has an interesting piece discussing KELO-TV's scrutiny of a Larry Diedrich ad.

KELO's "Ad-Watch" feature is a good idea. Hopefully, KELO will employ this feature when Tom Daschle comes out with ads touting himself as a champion for ethanol. There's a wealth of information to contradict Daschle's claim HERE, HERE, and HERE.

More Hemmingsen

South Dakota television icon Steve Hemmingsen has a new "Weighing In" post that's another great read: "First Monday."