
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 28, 1993                   TAG: 9306010197
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NO FAIR COVERAGE FOR FARRIS

I AM concerned over the newspaper's failure to cover the rally held for Michael Farris at the Airport Marriott on May 11. As you know, he is the current front-runner in the race for the GOP's nomination for lieutenant governor. What you do not know is what he stands for and how large his base of support is. It is obvious that if you wished to know more about Farris and his beliefs, you would have sent someone to cover this rally.

While it is understandable that it is not possible to cover every political event, I cannot help but think that in this instance you are simply not concerned with a fair representation of the facts. Your editorials (and articles that should have been editorials since they were full of opinion) have been completely unfair to Farris and his campaign. One article even stated that no one seriously expected him to win the nomination. This is simply not true. Polls of committed delegates consistently show Farris ahead of his opponent, Mrs. Kilberg.

I am tired of your portrayal of Farris as a right-wing fanatic. I certainly do not expect you to help Farris. Rather, I would only ask that you treat him fairly. This can only be done if your paper takes the time to examine the truth about his campaign. To begin with, you could have attended the Roanoke rally where more than 200 supporters showed up. Then, you could have contrasted this with the attendance at Mrs. Kilberg's last rally in Roanoke, which only 32 people attended. It seems as though your newsroom is the only place where Farris is running behind in the nomination battle. HUNTER CROWDER ROANOKE

Editor's note: In the past five months, Roanoke Times & World-News staffers have attended at least five events where both Republican candidates for lieutenant governor have spoken. Stories focusing on the Republican candidates for lieutenant governor have been published on March 7, March 14 and May 1. Another story, which identified Mike Farris as the front-runner over Bobbie Kilberg, was published on May 2. We chose not to cover either of the candidates' most recent visits to Roanoke. However, we intend to publish another story on the lieutenant governor's race in advance of the Republicans' June 4-5 convention.

by CNB