It isn’t that unusual for reporters to leave journalism behind and go into politics, working for candidates or public officials or, in some cases, running for office themselves.
But this is typically a one-way street, especially for those who seek office. Making the move in reverse is unusual, especially given the “objectivity” of the corporate media.
So I was quite surprised to see Ramsay Wharton back on the air for Hawaii News Now.
Wharton ran for the 2nd Congressional District seat as a conservative Republican.
“I’m running for Congress because our current Representative has shown little or no leadership on the key issues upon which our voters have made clear they want our Washington Representatives to focus: job creation, restraint in spending and lower taxes,” said Wharton.
“I have reached out and listened to the people of Hawai`i and what I have heard back is that they have suffered for too long under de facto one party rule losing hope for a prosperous future. This election year, Hawai`i has a golden opportunity to elect a new generation of thoughtful, fiscally conservative minded leaders like myself and Charles Djou.”
According to the FEC, Wharton raised only $29,516 in her primary run, so perhaps the money ties that go with campaigning aren’t as much as a factor in her case.
Should mainstream media be a revolving door? Can you successfully put the political genie back into the bottle? I would be interested in your thoughts.
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I get zippo de nada of my local news from local television stations although I do watch local sports anchors/reporters sometimes . I set the DVD recorder to kick in around 10:10 pm.
The last time I watched any local tv broadcasts live – other than election results – was during the tsunami alert.
I’d never even heard of Ramsay Wharton until she came up to us camapigning at The Shack in Kailua one Sunday evening a couple of weeks before the Primary.
Even though we told her that we were True Blue Dems, she sat with us and talked about her political positions on a number of issues. I found her intelligent – and good-looking- and suggested that maybe she might be more electable running as a Democrat. Of course, she thought I was joking.
Anyhow, if she’s back – why not assign her to weather reporting or cutesy-poo stories about lost dogs.
I’m curious – why do most people rely on television for getting information about what’s going on?
As for the Star-Advertiser, any publication that endorses someone like Bob McDermott makes me wonder if it’s really worth the time and money to read it.
And what about politicians who become lawyers and lobbyists and back again?
Mason Altiery went from a newscaster to a politician and back to news, a few times too I think.