E.W. Scripps is making five minutes available to political candidates on all nine of its television stations in the 30 days prior to the general election day, and will also open the airwaves "as needed" in the 30 days leading into a primary, it announced last week. It marks the continuation of a program the company initiated in 2000. The total program, which the company has dubbed "Democracy 2008," also includes internet, get out the vote and educational elements. Scripps vows that its news coverage will be focused, and will make an effort to analyze the "context and accuracy of political advertisements."
Scripps operates stations in Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tampa, Baltimore, Phoenix, West Palm Beach, Kansas City and Tulsa.
