DEBRA MEDINA FOR GOVERNOR RESPONDS TO BOGUS KERA DEBATE SURVEY

TheCypressTimes.com ^ | 01/04/2009 | Staff

[Patriot1259]

Freeman pointed out that while Debra Medina’s campaign has been subjected to respond to KERA’s survey for inclusion, KERA has already been advertising the participation of Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson on the website, www.texasdebates.org long before KERA issued their bogus survey criteria.

[basil]

Go for it, Debra!

[BuckeyeTexan]

Ping

Freepmail me or ping me from the original thread to get on/off the 2010 Texas Governor's Race ping list.

[deport]

American Statesman

• Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina (who may get excluded from that first debate by public television station KERA) picked up a legal victory against her party as the new year approached. From the Quorum Report: “A three-judge panel with the Houston-based First Court of Appeals has overturned the awarding of attorney’s fees to the Republican Party of Texas in a lawsuit brought by Debra Medina on the eve of the 2008 state party convention. Medina, who is presently running for the GOP nomination for Governor, had brought the suit alleging irregularities in how the state party convention is conducted. The First Court of Appeals dismissed the suit and the trial court awarded attorney’s fees about a month later. In its ruling issued last night, the three-judge panel said the trial court did not have the authority to award the money because it modified the final judgment of the appeals court.”

[deport]

Criteria for Candidate Participation in KERA Broadcast Debates

KERA's mission is to serve our communities by excelling in the production, presentation, and distribution of television and radio programming, and related activities that educate, inspire, enrich, inform and entertain.

KERA 13 and KERA 90.1 have a highly respected tradition of solid news and public affairs programming that focuses on a commitment to help viewers and listeners make informed decisions.

In accordance with PBS' Programming Policy Statement, KERA maintains public trust in its editorial integrity by shielding the programming process from improper political pressure or influence from program funders or other sources. Editorial integrity is based on the journalistic principles of fairness, objectivity, balance and community needs.

KERA – in cooperation with other debate sponsors – consistently has provided national and statewide debates as part of its election coverage for more than 20 years. To determine guidelines for debates, KERA believes it is important to establish viewpoint neutral criteria for candidate inclusion. These are rooted in principles of editorial integrity and judgment.

The criteria to be considered by editorial staff in making decisions about candidate inclusion are as follows:

1. A candidate must have met all legal qualifications required by the State of Texas to appear on the ballot and be eligible for office.

2. A candidate must be actively campaigning for election in the jurisdiction he or she is seeking to represent. To meet the definition of an active campaign, a candidate would need to establish a campaign headquarters with a paid and/or volunteer staff; generate public interest, such as being invited to speak at public gatherings and obtaining monetary contributions; and have a campaign that would be sufficiently newsworthy to warrant coverage by the media.

3. Polls are a measure of voter interest. If a candidate receives a minimum of a 6% rating in an established, nonpartisan poll or an average of established, nonpartisan polls, the candidate will be presumed to be newsworthy. Voter interest may also be measured by the amount of votes cast for a candidate, and so a candidate would have to receive a minimum of 6% of votes in a previous election for the same office or a comparable office.

In all cases, KERA and the other sponsors will require a candidate to meet the legal requirements for eligibility for office imposed by the State of Texas to be included in a debate. For candidates who satisfy this eligibility standard, KERA will consider the candidates’ campaign activity and established, nonpartisan polling data to make a viewpoint neutral editorial judgment of the candidate’s newsworthiness.

---

Looks like 7% would meet the criteria unless there is a specified date in which the percentage must be met.

Fullwood says it's not like Medina's been excluded; it's just that they're waiting to see if she fulfills the criteria -- which says, among other things, "if a candidate receives a minimum of a 6% rating in an established, nonpartisan poll," they're good to go. According to the Texas Tribune's inaugural election survey, conducted a month ago, Medina's running a distant third to Perry and Hutchison -- but pulling in 7 percent nonetheless. Says Fullwood, via a follow-up e-mail, "We do not yet know whether Ms. Medina will meet the criteria, but we are continuing to gather information, and, if she does, she will be included."

[patriot08]

Yeah. Will all our troubles with illegal aliens from Mexico, we need MEDINA for governor.

[basil]

Get over it. Her husband was born and raised here, as were several generations of his family before him. Medina is her married name, she is a native born Caucasian.

Your insuation borders on racism, IMHO.

[omegabea]

WOOHOO, I just called KERA and they told me Medina would be included in the debate...decision made last night.

[dusttoyou]

Texans, I just received an email from our local Tea Party folks that say that they (Belo Corp) are excluding Debra Medina from the next debate on Jan. 29, because she does not meet their criteria.

Here is a couple of Belo’s Execs to contact to encourage them to change their mind and include Ms. Medina.

Belo Corporation
R. Paul Fry
Vice President/Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
214-977-6835 (tel)
214-977-7051 (fax)
invest@belo.com

Jill Matthews
Director/Corporate Communications
214-977-6825 (tel)
214-977-7051 (fax)
jmatthews@belo.com

[deport]

Texans, I just received an email from our local Tea Party folks that say that they (Belo Corp) are excluding Debra Medina from the next debate on Jan. 29, because she does not meet their criteria.

---

Correct as far as I’ve read. They have a 15% poll rating criteria [what is used for Presidential debates] that partcipants must meet to be included. Medina apparently doesn’t meet this requirement.

Here’s a thread on the petition:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2429605/posts