The Republic usually gives this space as the location for the newspaper’s view on topics of interest, but we will also occasionally use it to talk with readers about a new feature or initiative readers may be interested in.
For the first time this year, The Republic asked contested school board race candidates for Bartholomew Consolidated School Board to sit down for filmed interviews, which are now available for viewing on The Republic’s YouTube channel. The link is provided with transcripts of the interviews at therepublic.com.
Some of the candidates were initially a bit reluctant to sit down for a video answering interview questions from reporter Brad Davis, but all eventually agreed to the interviews. The videos were done by Republic photo editor Mike Wolanin and posted on Tuesday, the first day of early voting. We did not give the candidates the questions prior to the interviews.
We chose to go with video (with transcripts also available) in the contested school board races in the hopes of giving voters a more complete view of each candidate, including their demeanor during their responses, the depth of their understanding of issues facing BCSC and how they might react as a board member responding to a question from a school patron.
We did not limit each candidate’s response to the questions and some gave responses longer than others. And while it will take some time to watch the videos, we think this is a valid way of giving voters more information about the candidates, their personalities, why they are running, and how they respond when questioned about their views.
If readers respond positively to video interviews, we will work to do more of this type of coverage in the future. If you wish to provide feedback, positive or negative, please share it with us at [email protected].
We look forward to your comments.
