EDITORIAL: Tickets available for Bregman Town Hall

The Journal has long held Editorial Board interviews with public officials and candidates, where we question the officials at length, debate the issues, ask followup questions and hash out different parts of daily life in Albuquerque. The interviews would take place behind closed doors in a Journal conference room, and readers would learn about the meetings from an endorsement or editorial that followed. 

That's about to change.  

On March 2, we're rolling out a new Editorial Board format, which we're calling Town Halls. We're hosting Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman for a live, public interview focused on some of the biggest issues facing our city: crime, safety, the court system, and the intersection of homelessness and addiction. The entire interview will be livestreamed and archived on our website. For the first time, readers won't have to wonder how we came to our conclusions, or how the subject answered or didn't answer a particular question. 

We're also opening the room itself. The interview will be held in the Journal auditorium at 5 p.m., and interested readers can attend if they want to watch the back-and-forth between Journal Editorial Board members and the county's top prosecutor — and maybe even ask a question. If you're interested in attending, scan the QR code on the page or request a seat by emailing editorialboard@abqjournal.com. Please let us know if you are a subscriber. We'll also have a way for those watching virtually to submit questions for us to consider.

This isn't a single event. It's a new model for a local newspaper that wants to better connect with and inform its community. We intend to keep this model available for future Editorial Board interviews, including inviting Bregman and the other gubernatorial candidates back closer to the election. 

The Journal has made changes to its Opinion section in recent years. Many readers noticed that we didn't endorse a candidate in last year's national election or mayoral race. There were several reasons for the change, including not wanting to alienate half are readers by endorsing a candidate with whom they disagree. We have continued to endorse specific policy proposals: the governor's universal state-supported early child care initiative, First Amendment issues, joining interstate health care worker compacts and medical malpractice reform, for example.  

We're thankful to Bregman for being the guinea pig for our new format, because he's a critical voice on issues that are top of mind for many Albuquerque residents. Crime, homelessness and public safety dominate the public conversation in the Duke City. People are frustrated. They want answers. They want clarity. They want accountability. 

As a newsroom we believe in holding powerful people to account, but why should accountability happen in a closed-door conference room? By recording and livestreaming the interview, we're allowing readers to see the process — not just the finished product. 

There are nuances to every interview that you don't see if you only see the final quote. You'll be able to see followup questions, attempts to dodge or deflect, when we try to press the person being interviewed for details or specifics. 

The district attorney is just the beginning. We plan to continue to use this format with city councilors, the mayor, agency and department heads, CEOs, religious leaders, cabinet secretaries, the congressional delegation and other leaders who craft the policies that shape our daily life. 

This approach doesn't replace our traditional news reporting and editorial writing. It's going to strengthen it with your direct input.

It's also more fair to the candidates. We're sure that in prior Editorial Board meetings, the candidate may have been flummoxed or ticked when he or she read the editorial or endorsement after the meeting and thought our writing didn't focus or include what they believed was the most important part of the interview. Now the candidates will have the receipts. The meeting recordings aren't going anywhere, and if a person doesn't like what we printed, they can go back to film and challenge our position. 

The Journal Editorial Board believes that questions matter. The answers matter. And now, for the first time, your presence matters.