The Washington Post: "Why" as well as "What"

Journalism serves to answer the basic questions: who, what, when, where, why and how? While the first four serve as the basis for the "hard facts" of the story, the "why" and the "how" are no less important, as they serve to connect the story with other events and larger issues. Even if a story about a campaign event is perfectly accurate and as comprehensive as possible, if it does not have the "how" or the "why", it does not help the public understand the event's significance, which is why the Washington Post's reports are important as they are in this election.

-This Article effectively reports on why Obama currently possesses the advantage in the polls, and with whom. While knowing who is ahead can be important, the reasons why they are ahead helps illustrate the electorate's priorities and preferences in a candidate, as well as whether candidate strategies are attracting or alienating potential voters.

-While Sarah Palin is one of the more controversial figures in the 2008 race, few articles that I have seen have gone as in-depth into her effec on the campaign as this one does. Knowing what effect she has on the McCain campaign and what Republicans think of her is more useful information than discussion about her family, college education, or wardrobe, as this issue directly impacts McCain's chance of winning and strategies.

-This article takes an effective historical look at mailed political ads and how they changed over time, which is more substantial than merely highlighting new negative political ads. Unfortunately, it was placed in A13, a somewhat out of the way position, and should have been placed more prominently.

Elections and the events they involve are not self-contained, but are built off of past events, often involve the issues that arise in the course of the election, and once the candidates are elected, often lead to new discussions and new issues. Reporting on elections must thus take context into account, or else it will be nothing more than recounting current events, and of no benefit for informing voters. The Washington Post, however, fulfills this ideal in these stories and is well worth taking the time to read it.