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Steve Weinstein’s Feb. 23 article, “TV’s Revolving Political Door” (subtitled “Has the Newsroom Become a Platform for Some Office Seekers?”) missed the point.
The fact is there is a long tradition of newsmen making the transition from the newsroom to public office.
Locally, the most notable examples are Baxter Ward, who went from anchoring KABC’s Eyewitness News (not as a commentator) to a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and Orange County Republican congressman Robert Dornan, who went from his own public affairs program to a seat in the House. Nationally, Illinois Senator and presidential candidate Paul Simon was the publisher of a newspaper before he went into politics.
The question shouldn’t be whether these people are qualified to hold office or whether once they served their terms it is right for them to return to their media positions.
The question should be whether they offer viable solutions to society’s problems and whether they are qualified to be members of the media. Either way the people should decide--at the polls or through the Nielsen and Arbitron rating systems.
ALAN H. FRIEDENTHAL
Tarzana
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