Editorial: A Message About Our Candidate Videos

Hello readers. I’m Wayne Edwards and one of the board members of The Southington Outside. I’m also a resident. 

It is an honor to be able to provide to you videos of the candidates running this November to represent Southington at the state level of legislature. 

In our planning stage with Phil and the board, it was always the goal to provide each candidate an equal opportunity to present their message to you. To make this fair and balanced, all candidates agreed to the following:

• A list of four common questions for all to answer

• Two additional questions to answer from their opponent. 

• One additional question that the candidate authored for themself that also comprise their closing statement

• 15 total minutes to answer

  
  

Before getting into the purpose of this letter, a quick background about myself. For over 15 years I was a live sports producer at ESPN. I traveled the world leading production crews making moment-to-moment decisions affecting what viewers see and hear during the live documentation of sport competition. I also had roles of producing athlete features, digital content and assisting in the development of on-air talent. 

After leaving the network, I transitioned to higher education where I am entering year ten as a Lecturer at the University of New Haven teaching Sports Media and Production, Digital Media and Multi-platform Journalism. And now, back to the purpose of this letter. 

I teach a course on media literacy where students learn to identify and analyze messaging from multiple genres. They are challenged to “dig deeper” by researching the source of a message to see how a media gatekeeper (e.g. candidate) delivers a specific angle or piece of information to appeal to their audience. 

I bequeath this same challenge to you, our Southington Outsider audience. As you watch and listen to the candidates, identify what their message is. Then, take time to “dig deeper” and research the source of their message. Referring to websites like CT.gov is one example to find details of legislature. When candidates cite articles, “dig deeper” to find that article and read it in its entirety. You may find more contextual information beneath the surface of the candidate’s message. 

Here’s what I tell my students that I pass to you. My job isn’t to tell you who to vote for, but rather, apply media literacy. Identify the message, research its source, dig beneath the surface for context and multiple angles, then make your own decision. 

Now, go dig!

W.E.