I've been thinking quite a lot lately about the role of the press in a democracy, and the media's scrutiny of political candidates since Gov. Sarah Palin burst onto the national scene. The press has descended to investigate her background and her positions on the many challenges facing the next administration. This reporting is necessary on any candidate for public office; it's the primary responsibility of the Fourth Estate.

So I've come to this conclusion: the same dogged reporting that journalists from all quarters are claiming is needed to evaluate the background and record of Sen. McCain's running mate is desperately lacking in a local race -- that between Rep. Dave Reichert and his challenger, Darcy Burner.

Who is Darcy Burner?

Burner, a 38-year-old former Microsoft employee, has been roundly criticized for her seemingly thin resume, lack of public service, and scant civic involvement. A local blog recently mentioned her refusal to take positions on issues ranging from expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, suggesting local editorial boards should raise these topics during endorsement interviews. And while I agree a position statement from Burner on these issues is important, it's striking that reporters covering this race haven't already explored those issues.

The Role of the Press

During the Republican National Convention, Yahoo!, Politico, and Pioneer Press hosted a panel to discuss media and the presidential campaign. John Harris, Editor-in-Chief of Politico, and Mark Halperin, Editor at Large & Senior Political Analyst for TIME Magazine, had the following exchange about the role journalists should play in covering candidates:

John Harris: Mark, what is the obligation of journalists, whether our email inboxes fill up or not, with complaints ... What should we be asking about Sarah Palin?

Mark Halperin: ...I think it is incredibly important in any election that the running mates get a lot of scrutiny, not necessarily gotcha scrutiny, but profiles and investigative work and issue elucidations so people know who's going to be a heart beat away from the presidency...And I think there's going to have to be a lot of serious work done very quickly in the next several weeks so the country has as much information about her as they have about the other three people on the national ticket.

This week, The Seattle Times editorial page Editor James Vesely explained the candidate endorsement process from this perspective:

...the answer comes from the nature of a newspaper as a citizen of the republic and as the most intensely local voice in town.

And in December 2007, Vesely framed "the role of the press as unofficial signatory to democratic government."

Translation: A key responsibility of the press is to educate voters as they head to the ballot box. Candidates, particularly those whose views and positions on the issues are less well-known to the public, should be investigated in the most comprehensive terms.

Let me be clear: Reichert, too, deserves scrutiny in this race -- every candidate for office does. But he has a record on the issues, and he's been voting in Congress for the past four years. The same can't be said for Burner. She's in the comfortable position of challenger, picking and choosing when she'll take positions on the issues, and so far, the press has let her get away with it. With 38 days until the election, local reporters need to step up and get in the game, or they're a dissapointment to their profession.