We could keep posting stories about WTIC-am radio host and former Governor John Rowland such as Ken Krayeske files FEC Complaint against Lisa Wilson Foley, Rowland WTIC radio or we could suggest you check out the Journal Register Company’s site that is devoted to the competitive race in the 5th congressional district. It launched April 2nd and for now is mostly feauturing its own reporting but will definitely link to others covering the race.
The JRC’s Matt DeRienzo expects to launch a similar site devoted to Connecticut’s U.S. Senate race as soon as next week.
It’s a partnership with the American edition of The Guardian and New York University’s Studio 20 journalism graduate school program: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/dec/08/citizens-agenda-election-coverage
The Guardian is focusing on the presidential race, and we’ve picked two of the most important races for Connecticut in 2012 – the two open seats in Congress – the 5th District and U.S. Senate races.
We picked the 5th District because it’s an important and competitive open seat, and it’s the dominant congressional district in our Register Citizen and Litchfield County Times coverage area. Also, Dan Roberti is from Kent (where LCT is strong), Andrew Roraback is from Goshen/Torrington and Mark Greenberg from Litchfield, heart of the RC coverage area, Elizabeth Esty is from Cheshire, a town important to the New Haven Register coverage area, Bernier, Wilson-Foley and Clark all have roots in the Farmington Valley, which we blanket with weekly newspapars, and Chris Donovan is a figure of statewide interest.
Our take on the Citizens Agenda involves trying to determine the four or five issues that citizens most want the candidates to talk about (we’ve done surveys, public forums, outreach to specific groups and people and monitoring our own letters, story comments, social media, etc.), and then focusing our reporting around it.
In the 5th District, we’re about to name four reporters to specific topics, and each will cover the campaign from now until November through the lens of that issue. So, for example, if you’re assigned to health care, you will be pressing the candidates to go really in-depth on their positions, plans and experience on the issue. And also going out into the 5th District and telling the stories of real people who are affected or concerned about that topic, and then going to the candidates and getting them to respond to those concerns.
That means following the citizens’ agenda instead of whatever the candidates want to push as talking points.
In addition to showcasing the Citizens Agenda content, the site has four other main elements: Candidate Profiles, Fact Check, Voter Resources, The Horse Race and Voter Resources.
