Jake Porter

Iowa View contributor

My opponent, Fred Hubbell, recently challenged me to three gubernatorial debates. We accepted. The problem is that some media outlets decided they didn’t want us in the debates, which we believe was due to pressure from Kim Reynolds' campaign.

At the end of the day, three debates were scheduled, and I am in none.

KTIV and KWWL had originally invited me to their Sioux City debates, rescinded the invitation, later posted that I was invited again, and then once again took away the invitation.

KCCI/Des Moines Register told me their lawyers had established criteria because I would take up too much airtime, which is odd considering some stations had no problem putting six candidates on stage during the gubernatorial primaries during a televised debate.

Editor's note: KCCI News Director Dave Busiek said the station always sets criteria for candidate participation in debates. They are based on measures of candidate strength, not on how much airtime a candidate might use.

KCRG told me if I wanted any airtime that I needed to buy advertisements from them.

KWQC refused to even contact me when I asked for their criteria while Hubbell and Reynolds were negotiating the debate schedule.

For the past 12 years, I have worked hard to make sure the Libertarian Party achieved major-party status in Iowa, so we could have things that major parties have — such as access to the debates. It is much more difficult for us to keep that major-party status in this election when the media is giving a giant in-kind contribution to my opponents.

For the most part, Iowa media have been fair to this campaign. The Des Moines Register had us meet with the editorial board, and the Register's editorial board endorsed me in the primary. Iowa Public Television aired the first Libertarian primary debate in Iowa, and we have been mentioned in hundreds of news articles. That said, when they faced a little pressure from elected politicians to keep me out, they caved faster than you can imagine.

Reynolds should be ashamed of herself for her part in keeping us out of the debates. Hubbell should be ashamed of himself for accepting debates that I am not a part of. The media outlets hosting these debates should be ashamed of themselves for their lack of journalistic integrity and a complete lack of ethics by leaving us out of the negotiation process. Shame on all three for not being Iowa nice.

The media have the right to invite whoever they want to their debates. They can sell out to the elected politicians like they have done here. But I don’t have to be silent about it. You have a right to run your business as you see fit. Advertisers have a right to advertise somewhere else. Viewers and readers have a right to get their news from competitors. My supporters and I have a right to show up and protest any debates that I am kept out of.

Jake Porter is the Libertarian Party nominee for Iowa governor.