Why do newspapers endorse candidates?

As Connecticut Post readers have noticed this newspaper last Thursday began publishing its endorsements of political candidates for the 2006 state and federal elections. Letters from readers lauding or condemning those editorials are already filling our mailbox.

Along with those notes of praise or rebuke, there are always a few missives asking why newspapers endorse candidates and what does an endorsement entail.

Here are some answers from my point of view as editor of the Post's opinion pages and a member of the Post Editorial Board listed at the top of this page in the staff box.

The editorial page essentially represents the institutional voice of a newspaper. It's a voice that speaks to the communities which we serve and tries, through our opinions on a wide variety of issues, to better those communities and their civic life.

There are six members of the Post's editorial board and each member has an equal vote in deciding issues, although the newspaper's publisher, as it is with nearly all newspapers in the U.S., can have more than a one vote if he so desires.

Board members don't sit in ivory towers and pontificate and pronounce. We are all active in the news product and in our own communities and we are interactive with our readers.

When we gather weekly to discuss issues, there can be swift unanimity on the editorial positions we take or there can be lengthy and passionate split votes and disagreements. That holds for political endorsements as well.

Our

endorsements are not made with political bias, but with what the board members perceive would be best for our communities and state. We talk to the candidates, we research their records and we examine their leadership abilities

Here are reasons why we endorse:

l to fulfill our obligation and responsibility as a constitutionally-protected media enterprise to not only be a part of our communities but to also help improve those communities.

l to offer information and perspective that voters can use in evaluating candidates.

l to create dialogue with our readers.

Our endorsements are not made:

l to tell readers who they should vote for.

l to make a compact with any candidate.

l to figure out who's most likely to win a contest.

Most major newspapers in America endorse political candidates. Some major media outlets have experimented with not making endorsements, but even most of those have returned to the practice because they felt the responsibility to inform their communities.

Do newspaper endorsements help candidates?

There's very little definitive research on the subject. Most media and political analysts would probably say no.

For recent experience, flip back to this August's Democratic primaries. U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and Dan Malloy, the Democratic State Convention-endorsed candidate for governor, garnered the endorsements of just about every major newspaper that circulates in Connecticut, but both lost their primaries.

Endorsements can benefit a candidate in close races, especially when there are multiple candidates and a large percentage of voters are undecided. Members of the Post editorial board (myself included) feel our endorsement of John M. Fabrizi in the Democratic Party primary (read: election) for mayor in 2003 helped the mayor eke out a 303-vote victory.

We know many readers this year won't agree with our choices, but we trust they will realize they are decisions made with the best interest in mind of our cities, towns and state and the citizens.

Voters will still have the final say at the ballot box on Nov. 7.

Stephen J. Winters is editorial page editor of the Connecticut Post. You can reach him at 203-330-6203 or by e-mail at swinters@ctpost.com.