This week that the news media and the candidates finally started to have a discussion about the issues themselves.  With the recent fiasco on Wall Street, Barack Obama, John McCain and the news media are slowly moving away from personality and the he said she said aspects of the campaign.  Now, Obama and McCain have begun to challenge each other on the economy, health care and social security.

I wrote a blog last week voicing my disdain that the media had been so focused on lipstick, pigs, number of houses and pastors rather than on the issues that will affect America the most in the next four years.  Now, in the campaign’s final stretch the news media is taking a look at the candidates’ response to the issues. 

Is the media, however, moving past the politicians’ spin, to tell the public how the candidates’ policies will affect the publics’ lives?

Today I spoke to Michael Remaley, Vice President, Director of Communications at Public Agenda.  Public Agenda is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that seeks to let, “citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful informed decisions.” Remaley said that even when the candidates do focus on the issues they are, “not really focused on the pros and cons of these issues…whose going to be affected and how.”
            Public Agenda made a plea earlier this month to the candidates and media to focus on the issues in the last 50 days of the campaign.  They developed a Voter’s Survival Kit that Remaley said, looks at all points of view on those issues that are at the top of the public agenda. 

Remaley said that he thinks the media has improved from the 2004 campaign to this one.  Even with the media’s turn to the economy this past week, however, the media have still only been giving sound bytes of the candidates’ policies rather than delving into them. 

Last week in response to my blog, one commentator questioned whether it was the media’s responsibility or the individual’s to find out the candidates’ policies and how they will reform Washington.  I hold the media to that standard.   The media’s focus on the economy this week was refreshing—it was nice to read and see the media discussing what policies the candidates will be bringing to Washington.  Perhaps I’m an idealist, but I think the news could do even better.  I’d like to see more than sound bytes.  Information on the candidates’ policies are available to the public through their websites and through organizations like Public Agenda.   I have faith that the news media could explore these issues, past what the candidates are simply saying about their own policies.