Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: A day to give thanks and help

Help only becomes a reality when it is given. Today, it’s something needed by many throughout this community and state.
If you’re looking for a blessing to mention in your Thanksgiving thoughts or prayers today, include the generous nature of Hoosiers. Right now, as Indiana steadies itself for a slow recovery from a long recession, a vast array of fund drives are under way to help needy families and children. The spirit of giving is part of the culture in the Terre Haute community. It emerged two summers ago when a flood devastated many parts of the town, and hasn’t stopped since as the painful economic downturn drags on and on.
Hoosiers have a track record of helping. In 2008, the estimated economic impact of volunteerism totaled $4.5 billion, according to the Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. About 28.1 percent of those volunteer hours went toward raising charity funds. The collection and distribution of food — a tradition during the year-end holidays — accounted for 25 percent of the volunteer hours.
Nearly 3 of every 10 Hoosier adults — 29.5 percent, to be precise — performed volunteer work last year, amounting to 205.2 million hours of donated time.
Human nature drives many of us to spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about the economy’s effect on our lives. Instead, Thanksgiving 2009 offers the perfect moment for the able-bodied to use that gripe time constructively by joining that 29.5 percent of the Hoosier population already volunteering on behalf of others.
So today, give thanks, then commit to giving help.

November 25, 2009 09:49 pm

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Appearance of corruption a strong incentive for reform

Today, and for the following two days, Tribune-Star readers are being treated to a remarkable series of editorials and essays produced by the Indianapolis Star. The project represents watchdog, advocacy journalism at its best, and our newspaper is proud to be part of the Star’s statewide effort to reach the citizens and taxpayers affected by the topic.
Reforming the way lobbying is regulated in the state legislature has long been among the Star’s favorite subjects on its editorial pages. But producing an exhaustive and highly compelling series such as this one shows extraordinary commitment to a cause about which the paper’s editorial board feels strongly.
What’s more, by choosing to share its series, “Access to Power,” with 22 other newspapers around the state, the Star has cast aside its competitive instincts in favor of maximum impact. In the not-too-distant past, such collaborative sharing was almost unheard of. A newspaper such as the Star, with its broad reach into virtually every part of the state, would consider such a big series a competitive edge against other news organizations, a potent effort to build readership and paid circulation.
Print journalism is changing. The Star, while still the largest circulation newspaper in Indiana, by far, does not have the reach it once had. Rather than being a statewide newspaper, it is now a strong regional newspaper that serves the most populous area of the state.
Being located in the state capital, however, does carry great responsibility for covering the Statehouse. That’s a big job, one no other news organization is equipped to do. And the Star does it well. Its editors’ decision to reach out and share this particular project will allow greater penetration for its message and increase the chances of triggering positive change in the way government and the legislature do business.
In addition to providing participating newspapers with editorials, columns, essays, and editorial cartoons, the Star’s editorial board encouraged all of the newspapers to generate their own content on the topic of lobbying reform, and to share that content when appropriate with all the others as well.
The Tribune-Star does indeed intend to cover this topic in coming days and weeks. The Star’s series undoubtedly will open many eyes, and it’s likely the interest generated will spark change — or at least heated debate — when the next legislative session is convened in January. Our coverage, in both news and editorial columns, will attempt to keep readers informed of developments and provide impetus for change.
The story being told in this series is an important one. Access to legislative power is skewed in favor of those with money and resources to lobby decision makers. Does it mean the system is corrupt? Not necessarily.
The legislature is populated by many, many elected representatives and senators guided by a strong sense of ethics. But the system invites the potential for corruption, or at the very least creates the appearance that corruption could be at work. That in itself is a strong incentive for reform.
Please take a close look at the list of common-sense reforms proposed in this series. Then study the accompanying reasoning behind these proposals.
This is a very compelling case for reform.
As always, we invite your comments and responses. We will publish as many of those comments as possible.

Tribune-Star editor Max Jones can be reached at max.jones@tribstar.com.

November 14, 2009 11:09 pm
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Editor's Note: Team effort tells stories of Hoosier travel spots

When times are tough economically, people get very careful with their hard-earned money. When it comes to spending, it’s a common practice to give special consideration to summer vacations or other leisure trips.
Rather than make that summertime trek to Disney World, Myrtle Beach, or any number of fabulous destinations around the country, many folks look for recreational opportunities closer to home. Indiana and the Midwest are a playground for families, as long as they know where to look.
Assuming that vacations would be planned closer to home this year, we began searching in early spring for ways to provide useful information and recreational ideas for the approaching travel season.
As a newspaper, our primary mission of gathering news and information relevant to our vast and diverse audience is focused on telling stories about events, people, places and issues of importance in our readership area. But in this case, we needed to extend our reach and tell stories about things a bit farther away, yet within easy and inexpensive travel distance.
Still, gathering good information for such a project would be taxing for our staff resources.
Newspapers everywhere face similar challenges, of course, so the Tribune-Star teamed up with three other newspapers — The Herald Republican of Angola, The Republic of Columbus and the Evening News of Jeffersonville — to produce a package of travel features that all of us would share with our readers.
This unique collaboration resulted in the first of a four-part feature series published on the cover of today’s Valley Life section. Titled “Adventures in Indiana,” the series targets four beautiful state parks that are situated in geographically diverse regions of Indiana where seasonal activities are exciting and abundant.
Featured in our opening segment today is Pokagon State Park located near Angola in Steuben County in extreme northeast Indiana. I think our readers will be amazed at what this park and adjacent community in the far reaches of the Hoosier state have to offer.
The Pokagon feature package was generated by The Herald Republican of Angola.
Other sites to be featured include Brown County State Park and Nashville in central Indiana; and Clifty Falls State Park and Madison on the Ohio River in southeast Indiana.
The final installment will be produced by the Tribune-Star and will feature Turkey Run State Park and Parke County in west-central Indiana.
The feature packages will be published every other week through the end of July. The publication schedule and source newspapers are as follows:
• Today — Pokagon State Park, Angola (The Herald Republican, Angola)
• June 28 — Brown County State Park, Nashville (The Republic, Columbus)
• July 12 — Clifty Falls State Park, Madison (Evening News, Jeffersonville)
• July 26 — Turkey Run State Park, Parke County (Tribune-Star, Terre Haute)
We are proud to be part of the series and to be associated with these other fine Indiana newspapers.
As always, we welcome reader comments and suggestions about this and other potential content projects in the future.
Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

June 13, 2009 05:47 pm
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Printed newspaper will be here for years to come

Whenever I speak to groups or individuals around the community about the state of the newspaper industry, I often get confused looks when I say that newspaper readership is growing rapidly and has never been higher.
“Why then,” I am asked, “is news about the industry so bad? All we hear about is declining circulation, layoffs, bankruptcies and closures!”
These are indeed tough times in the newspaper industry, as with almost every other industry. The global economic distress of the past year has led to a steep dip in advertising sales, the primary source of revenue for newspapers. Profits are down, and some newspapers, especially in highly competitive metropolitan areas, are having a hard time paying their bills, not to mention meeting their debt obligations to investors. Just this past week, we learned that average daily newspaper circulation had declined 7.1 percent in the past six months.
Challenges abound in this financial climate for our industry in general. Individual newspapers, on the other hand, have their own stories to tell. In many cases, as with the Tribune-Star, that story isn’t so bad. Yes, lower revenues have been met with corresponding expense reductions, including a painful reduction in our work force earlier this year. But other fundamentals of our business are holding up.
Average daily circulation at the Tribune-Star, which serves a nine-county area in west-central Indiana and east-central Illinois, remained strong the past 18 months. We’re proud of that. Our circulation was relatively stable during that period at approximately 25,000. On Sundays, that number is higher, about 28,000.
While we have experienced a slight drop in paid circulation, it’s nowhere near the national average. We recently received very good news when March 2009 circulation figures showed 114 more subscription starts than stops.
While circulation of our printed product has been steady or showing only a slight decrease, overall readership is higher than ever.
How can that be?
Keep a couple things in mind. Independent research shows that 2.1 readers consume each printed daily newspaper we produce. The number is higher, 2.4 readers, for Sunday newspapers. That means, while our average circulation is around 25,000, actual readership of the print edition is more than double that number.
Still, that’s not the half of it.
For more than 10 years, the Tribune-Star has offered a free online edition containing most of the daily news, photos, features and opinions we produce. Over the years, online readership has exploded. Just last month, we recorded more than a quarter million unique visitors to our Web site, www.tribstar.com. In the past year, we recorded more than 16 million page views.
The online edition certainly has expanded the scope of our readership. While it is true that some people who once paid for the information we produce now read it online for free, the Internet has allowed us to reach readers once unavailable to us with our print product. And those who read us online can do so at their convenience using computers and cell phones.
Despite the rapid growth of online readership, stable circulation of the print edition indicates that a printed daily newspaper will be available in Terre Haute for a long, long time. What’s more, history tells us that this recession will end and the economy will grow again. When it does, ad revenues will rebound and many of the struggles newspapers are experiencing will ease.
That does not mean newspapers can rely solely on their ages-old print business model forever. This is a period of transition, and legions of smart, creative people are working and experimenting to craft a new business model for newspapers that will allow an independent press to live on.
Donna Barrett, president and CEO of Community Newspapers Holdings Inc., the Tribune-Star’s parent corporation, does a very good job of explaining more about the current status of the newspaper industry in a Flashpoint essay published today on Page D3 of this section. I recommend you read it.
Most people can’t imagine their community without a local newspaper. Nor should they have to. Despite industry challenges, the future is far from bleak. At the Tribune-Star, we’re optimistic and enthusiastic about that future.

Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

May 04, 2009 08:59 am
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Spelling Bee a great Tribune-Star tradition

Of all the great community-based events this newspaper sponsors and helps sponsor throughout the year, the Tribune-Star Wabash Valley Spelling Bee is one of the most important. It’s extra special because it gives the best and brightest young students in our nine-county area the opportunity to compete for big prizes in a popular and widely recognized annual academic competition.
The Tribune-Star has taken the lead as sponsor of this event since the early 1980s, thanks to the vision and leadership for former Editor Richard J. Roth, who is now an associate dean and instructor in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
The local spelling bee is part of the national competition known as the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Winners at various local and regional competitions advance to the national bee in Washington, D.C., May 26-28.
The winner of the Tribune-Star Wabash Valley Spelling Bee will be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the national event, in addition to other prizes.
The regional bee is scheduled for next Saturday (March 21) at 1 p.m. in Sarah Scott Middle School. Winners of bees in schools around the Wabash Valley will converge in Terre Haute for what promises to be another highly competitive event.
A lot of different Tribune-Star employees, through our Newspaper In Education program, have handled spelling bee matters through its 25-plus-year history with us. This year, Assistant Circulation Director David Zigler is the point person, with able assistance provided by Circulation Director Courtney Zellers, who led the effort numerous times in the past. It’s a big job putting on this event. Zigler and Zellers, with plenty of volunteer community help and invaluable contributions from the administration at Sarah Scott Middle School and the Vigo County School Corp., make things go smoothly each time out.
We appreciate all those who help us make this happen. The Tribune-Star is proud to be an integral part of the event.
• • •
Crossroads Communications unveiled a new format for its flagship WBOW on Friday, and it was exciting to see the return to the famous radio call letters that have such deep tradition in Terre Haute media history.
Formerly B102.7, Crossroads management wisely decided to embrace its roots and relaunch itself as WBOW. In addition to making changes to its content format, which also sounds like an exciting development, the station invited the Tribune-Star to expand its partnership with the station by providing a sampling of its next-day Page 1 headlines. We are happy to do so. You can catch those headline promos each weekday afternoon during drive time on the new WBOW. We will be looking for other interesting ways to partner with the folks at Crossroads in the future.
• • •
Readers of the Saturday Opinion page undoubtedly made note of the recent retirement of William Rusher, a longtime conservative syndicated columnist whose work appeared on this page. Rusher’s traditional, measured style of commentary was refreshing in this day and age of hostile, high-pitched screeching from many of today’s political columnists.
To replace Rusher, we will offer the work of conservative columnist Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner. York has strong credentials as a conservative commentator. His work has appeared in numerous publications through the years, and he previously worked as White House correspondent for National Review magazine.
York’s column is scheduled to begin appearing next Saturday.

Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

March 13, 2009 08:07 pm
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Editor's Note: Letters continue to be popular with readers

Survey after survey of newspaper readers tell us that letters to the editor are among the most read and most enjoyed content we offer. While obituaries routinely top the list of most-read items, letters are always near the top.
Even without research of that kind, it would be obvious to those of us who work to produce newspapers in print and online that reader submissions offering opinions on issues of the day, comments about hot community topics, or telling personal stories about everyday life, are universally valued by our large and diverse audience.
How would we know that? Personal feedback from readers fuels the notion, of course. But the real testament to the popularity of reader commentary is the constant volume of letters coming in. Whenever it seems the number of submitted letters can’t possibly go higher, it does.
We’ve had strong years before, but 2008 ranks among the best, at least since we’ve been tracking such things. As editorial page editor back in the early ’90s, I started logging submitted letters. (That’s when all letters sent were either typed, faxed or hand-written rather than e-mailed — today’s vastly preferred submission method). The number of letters I logged 10 to 15 years ago hovered between 1,200 and 1,400. Most of those, which consisted of letters that met our basic standards and requirements, saw print.
But 2008 was a banner year, with 1,746 letters logged (1,300 e-mailed, plus 446 submitted in other ways). Election years, especially when presidents are on the ballot, tend to generate more letters. But I’ve also found that years with Terre Haute mayoral elections boost the letters volume. Such was the case in 2007, when more than 1,650 letters were logged.
I don’t have an accurate count on the number of letters actually published in our print edition last year. It would have to number well over 1,400. And all of our letters contain the author’s real name. Anonymous letters, or pen names, are not allowed. Readers appreciate that.
We have been trying to get writers to submit shorter letters, which are advantageous to all. Shorter letters are more apt to be read completely, and they result in more space for more letters. We seem to be succeeding, since we haven’t allotted any more space to letters, yet are publishing more of them.
The quality of letters continues to be excellent. I have also noticed an increase in new letter writers. All this points to our letters columns being a must-read feature far into the future.
Keep up the good work, and keep those letters coming in.
I I I
While most of our efforts are still focused on the Tribune-Star’s print edition, we are devoting an increasing amount of resources to our online edition, www.tribstar.com. That is a trend that will continue.
In some cases, Web content is exclusive to the online edition. One such Web-only feature is Sports Editor Todd Golden’s “Down in the Valley” blog, which can be accessed by clicking first on a Sports link from the main page, then scrolling down to the “Back in Blue” logo on the right side of your computer screen.
Todd covers Indiana State University men’s basketball and uses his blog to write in real time about the Sycamores’ exploits. Many fans of ISU sports already know about Todd’s blog and enjoy interacting with him.
Among the content readers can find are in-game comments. Todd writes instant analysis while the games are going on and keeps readers up to date on the game’s progress. The blog is fun reading and worth a visit from Sycamores fans.
More online features such as Todd’s blog will be appearing in coming months. This type of content delivery is definitely the trend of the future.

Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com

January 09, 2009 11:24 pm
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Editor's Note: Victory Days — great time to learn history and share memories

The number of American military veterans who served their country during World War II are dwindling rapidly. To those remaining, we can’t pay enough tribute. They belong to a generation of men and women who made this nation — and the world — a better and safer place to live.
That’s why events such as Victory Days at Hulman Field this weekend are so important. This special activity, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, allows us to honor and salute WWII veterans, and to teach new generations about their courage and sacrifice.
All the chatter surrounding Victory Days and the display of various World War II artifacts got me thinking a lot this week about the tiny WWII mini-museum I have at my home.
My dad, Joseph L. Jones of Loogootee, served in the United States Marine Corps during the war, attached to the 4th Marine Division in the South Pacific. He passed away more than 10 years ago, and I’m the lucky one in my large family of siblings to have possession of much of his war-era memorabilia.
Among the artifacts are black-and-white photos, most of them snapped of him and his Marine buddies while stationed on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands before or after their military campaigns. The jovial poses mask the seriousness of their mission, which placed them in at least three combat hotspots during the war with Japan.
My dad’s tour of duty included combat on Saipan and Tinian, and a few months later the invasion of Iwo Jima. Like many of his fellow veterans, he talked little about his combat experiences, saying only that Saipan, for him, involved the worst direct fighting with the enemy, and that Iwo Jima was the most tedious because of how U.S. troops were hampered in securing the island due to fierce enemy resistance.
I am extremely proud of my dad’s military service, and my two most prized of his possessions are the Purple Heart and Silver Star, both of which he earned on Saipan.
The Purple Heart, which honors those wounded in combat, has the most interesting history because it is a relatively new addition to the collection. Although he had documentation showing he was entitled to the Purple Heart, Dad chose not to claim the medal. When asked about it, he would brush off the question, saying he wasn’t seriously injured (his wrist was grazed by either shrapnel or a bullet, he was never really sure) and that many, many fellow Marines suffered far more than he did. In essence, he didn’t think he deserved it.
I read a few years ago that Dad’s attitude was not uncommon among WWII veterans. Having experienced firsthand the horrors of war, they were almost embarrassed to accept the Purple Heart, especially if they considered their wounds minor.
Dad’s attitude about the medal did not change until late in his life when he began attending 4th Marines Division reunions. He had the opportunity to get reacquainted with some of his old war buddies, who convinced him that he deserved his Purple Heart and should claim it. He eventually did, and I do not believe he ever felt any embarrassment about it after that point. I sure don’t.
My favorite war story involving my dad was told to us after he died. It came from one of his Marine comrades who wrote a wonderful tribute letter to our family. He obviously had great affection for Dad. One of the poignant memories he shared was that whenever one of their unit’s members was killed in action, Dad would write, on behalf of everyone in the unit, a personal letter of condolence to the fallen Marine’s family.
I cannot adequately express the pride I feel, knowing that somewhere, mixed with personal memorabilia of a family who lost a loved one in that war, there is a comforting letter from a fellow Marine, signed “Joe Jones, USMC.”
I hope Victory Days is a successful event for the Wabash Valley and stirs wonderful memories. It certainly has for me.
Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

October 03, 2008 05:31 pm
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Max Jones: Community takes center stage again for fall campaign

Even the most hardened cynic has to admit that Terre Haute is living a charmed life this election year.
For the fifth time since spring, the community will be visited by a major political figure in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes. The event will occur later today when Democratic Party nominee Sen. Barack Obama makes a 12:30 p.m. campaign stop at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds.
For Obama, today is his second trip to the city. He spoke to a large and enthusiastic audience in April at Terre Haute North Vigo High School’s gymnasium. That’s when he was engaged with Sen. Hillary Clinton in a heated Indiana Democratic primary battle.
Clinton won Vigo County handily (and the state by a narrow margin). But no Democrat presidential candidate has won Indiana’s electoral votes since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. That Obama would return here indicates he still considers Indiana winnable and sees west-central Indiana and its media market as valuable territory to mine for votes.
Remember, George W. Bush won locally in 2000 and 2004, keeping alive Vigo County’s uncanny record of voting for the eventual presidential winner during the past 100-plus years. Only once, in 1952, did Vigo County’s vote not match the national result. That year, Democrat Adlai Stevenson of Illinois narrowly defeated Dwight Eisenhower here.
This year’s election promises to be close — locally and nationally. It will be oh-so-interesting to see which candidate this county supports, and whether its presidential election record is extended or suffers a blemish.
Having so much attention given our county by Obama the past six months will undoubtedly have some impact on local results. Unless McCain himself shows up here — which is highly unlikely — Obama’s visits might be enough to carry the county.
McCain runningmate Sarah Palin might fare as well here as he would if she made a scheduled campaign stop. Judging by comments and observations by local observers, Palin’s making quite a favorable impression.
Instinct tells me Obama’s visit here will the last this year by a presidential or vice presidential candidate. History shows Indiana should be safe turf for the GOP. If McCain or Palin have to begin spending time in the Hoosier state to keep it in their win column, then the GOP ticket is probably in trouble nationally.
• • •
Do you want to publicly endorse a candidate for office in this fall’s election? You can do so in our Readers’ Forum. All offices and races are fair game.
Submit your endorsement letters to us via e-mail, fax or U.S. mail.
• The e-mail address is opinion@tribstar.com.
• Fax number is (812) 231-4321.
• Mail address is Tribune-Star, P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute IN 47808.
To guarantee that your endorsement will be published in our print edition prior to the election, please submit early. Letters submitted after Wednesday, Oct. 29, may or may not be published. We will publish endorsements until Monday, Nov. 3.
We strongly encourage you to keep endorsement letters less than 400 words. Briefer is better.
• • •
Last week I wrote about the Tribune-Star’s partnership with the League of Women Voters of Vigo County in sponsoring two candidate forums this fall. Due to a conflict, the date for the legislative candidate forum, originally set for Sept. 30, has been changed to Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Sarah Scott Middle School.
The forum for candidates in County Council and commissioner races remains Oct. 23 at the Vigo County Public Library.
Times for both events are 7-9 p.m.

Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

September 05, 2008 07:37 pm
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MAX JONES: Voters anxious to get news about candidates

Labor Day historically marks the beginning of the fall season for political campaigning. That has been true most years in which elections are conducted. This year, however, such a designation may be greeted will little more than a chuckle.
Beginning of the campaign? Yeah, right. Thanks to the marathon presidential primary season and competitive-to-the-end race for the Democratic nomination, the campaign seems as though it’s been going on forever.
What this Labor Day does mark is the start of local political campaigns, and the first thing required for candidates for state and county offices in the Wabash Valley is to find a way to get the attention of a fatigued electorate.
There are a number of competitive contests for potential voters to consider this fall. In addition to an interesting gubernatorial election, the ballot will feature races for state legislature, county offices and judgeships.
Your Tribune-Star recognizes the major role it serves in delivering information to readers about local elections. Our journalists know that you depend on us to publish accurate and useful information about candidates that will help you make voting decisions come Election Day.
Changing dynamics of the voting process, fueled in part by the rise of satellite voting sites and more voters casting ballots before Election Day, has caused us to re-evaluate our political news-gathering process. In the past, we would not begin publishing candidate information until two weeks before the election because we believed voters did not tune into local politics until then.
That may no longer be the case. During recent election cycles, more and more readers have challenged us to get candidate information to them sooner and to package it conveniently on our Web site, TribStar.com. We’re listening, and we are now in the process of adjusting our political publication calendar.
Expect to see our candidate coverage begin earlier this year, perhaps as soon as the last week of September and first week of October. We then plan to organize our election reports for quick reference and review from the front page of TribStar.com.
As always, we appreciate reader input and feedback on our coverage of local news and events. Please don’t hesitate to contact me and share your ideas or concerns.
• • •
• The Tribune-Star will once again team up with the League of Women Voters of Vigo County to sponsor two candidate forums this fall.
The first will be Tuesday, Sept. 30, and will feature candidates for state legislature in districts that include precincts in Vigo County. The forum will be conducted from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Vigo County Public Library in downtown Terre Haute.
The second event will be Thursday, Oct. 23, and will feature candidates for commissioner and County Council in Vigo County. This forum also will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Library.
The formats for both events have yet to be determined, but more information will be available soon.
• • •
• As a reminder, Hoosier voters can participate in this year’s series of gubernatorial debates by submitting topics, issues and questions for candidate discussion.
To do so, visit the Web site of the Indiana Debate Commission (www.indianadebatecommission.com) and fill out a simple online form. You can also submit questions through the U.S. mail at Indiana Debate Commission, 3909 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis IN 46208, Attn. Indiana Governors Debate.
It would be best to submit those questions in the next week. The first debate — Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville — will feature questions submitted by voters through these means.
Max Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

August 29, 2008 04:21 pm
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MAX JONES: Voters will be big winners in fall gubernatorial debates

Twice in September and once in October, Indiana voters will have an opportunity to participate in and witness, in person or via electronic media, debates among the state’s three candidates for governor.
Gubernatorial debates are not new here, but this year’s debates will be different because of unprecedented efforts by the newly formed Indiana Debate Commission.
Incorporated in the fall of 2007, the Indiana Debate Commission is a nonpartisan group of affiliate organizations dedicated to promoting debates at the state level. The IDC’s board of directors has been setting groundwork for this year’s debates since February 2007, and has spent the past five months working with candidates and potential debate officials to select locations and a schedule that will serve the largest possible number of Hoosier voters.
As the IDC has gone about its work, the support, interest and enthusiasm shown around the state for hosting the debates have been remarkable. More than a dozen sites submitted applications to become debate venues. Among them were public universities, a private college, a parochial school and a commercial enterprise. All were visited by teams of board members and volunteers. The goal is to conduct a debate in each of three regions (north, central and south); each produced excellent potential sites.
Reviewing and assessing potential venues during site visits was a painstaking process that was enhanced by the professionalism demonstrated by our applicant hosts. Their commitment to offering the best facilities and services available reinforced our belief that this cause has great merit and will produce valued results.
After several weeks of consideration and analysis, the IDC on Aug. 8 announced its debate lineup. All three candidates — Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson, and Libertarian Andrew Horning — have accepted our proposed schedule.
The first debate will be Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Star Theatre in Merrillville. The second will be the following Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Jasper Arts Center in Jasper. The third will be Tuesday, Oct. 14, at IU Auditorium on the campus of Indiana University-Bloomington.
With dates and sites selected, an IDC subcommittee is now focused on debate formats. While different formats may ultimately be selected for each site, the goal is the same — to create an opportunity for voters to observe the candidates deal with a variety of issues and interact with questioners, moderators and each other.
Throughout this process, the Debate Commission has stayed true to its mission of “putting voters first.” In addition to scheduling debates in geographically diverse locations around the state and making each event open to the public, the IDC has put together a plan to allow as many people as possible to view the debates on television or listen on radio. In conjunction with Indiana public television stations, a video feed will be made available free of charge for broadcast on any local or public station.
The IDC also invites citizens to participate by submitting questions, topics or issues they would like the candidates to discuss during the debates. An electronic submission form is available at the IDC Web site, www.indianadebatecommission.com. If your question is selected, you may be invited to attend a debate and watch from a VIP seat.
Political debate has long been a tradition in Indiana. Yet creation of the Indiana Debate Commission, the first known statewide organization of its kind in America, is destined to raise the standard of discourse by staging debates in a consistent manner while ensuring, on behalf of voters, that the presentations are fair and unbiased for all involved.
The coalition of affiliate members that made the commission possible will be pleased to reach its first goal with the series of gubernatorial debates this fall. But Indiana’s voters will have achieved the greatest gain.

Max Jones is editor of the Tribune-Star and a member of the Indiana Debate Commission. He can be reached via e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.

August 23, 2008 05:05 pm
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