Criteria for Candidate Participation in KERA Broadcast Debates
KERA's mission is to serve our communities by excelling in the production, presentation, and distribution of television and radio programming, and related activities that educate, inspire, enrich, inform and entertain.
KERA 13 and KERA 90.1 have a highly respected tradition of solid news and public affairs programming that focuses on a commitment to help viewers and listeners make informed decisions.
In accordance with PBS' Programming Policy Statement, KERA maintains public trust in its editorial integrity by shielding the programming process from improper political pressure or influence from program funders or other sources. Editorial integrity is based on the journalistic principles of fairness, objectivity, balance and community needs.
KERA – in cooperation with other debate sponsors – consistently has provided national and statewide debates as part of its election coverage for more than 20 years. To determine guidelines for debates, KERA believes it is important to establish viewpoint neutral criteria for candidate inclusion. These are rooted in principles of editorial integrity and judgment.
The criteria to be considered by editorial staff in making decisions about candidate inclusion are as follows:
1. A candidate must have met all legal qualifications required by the State of Texas to appear on the ballot and be eligible for office.
2. A candidate must be actively campaigning for election in the jurisdiction he or she is seeking to represent. To meet the definition of an active campaign, a candidate would need to establish a campaign headquarters with a paid and/or volunteer staff; generate public interest, such as being invited to speak at public gatherings and obtaining monetary contributions; and have a campaign that would be sufficiently newsworthy to warrant coverage by the media.
3. Polls are a measure of voter interest. If a candidate receives a minimum of a 6% rating in an established, nonpartisan poll or an average of established, nonpartisan polls, the candidate will be presumed to be newsworthy. Voter interest may also be measured by the amount of votes cast for a candidate, and so a candidate would have to receive a minimum of 6% of votes in a previous election for the same office or a comparable office.
In all cases, KERA and the other sponsors will require a candidate to meet the legal requirements for eligibility for office imposed by the State of Texas to be included in a debate. For candidates who satisfy this eligibility standard, KERA will consider the candidates’ campaign activity and established, nonpartisan polling data to make a viewpoint neutral editorial judgment of the candidate’s newsworthiness.
