Election Coverage: Demand Substance NOT Stereotypes

A Petition to Major U.S. Media Outlets:

This truly is a historic election year. For the first time in U.S. history, a major party chose an African-American man as its nominee for president. A woman candidate garnered 18 million votes in the primary, nearly winning her party's nomination. And a woman was chosen by her party's nominee to run for vice president. The media have a duty to report on the substance of these campaigns -- the candidates' positions on the issues that are important to the people of this country -- not their appearance, their personal family choices, or other inappropriate or irrelevant factors.

The signers of this petition demand that the media refrain from using gender or racial stereotypes to degrade or exploit the candidates and their families in any way. We also demand that you refrain from trivializing the election process and the voters. The election for president of the United States is serious business -- please treat every candidate with dignity, and give your readers, listeners and viewers the information they need to make an informed decision in November 2008.

Signed,

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