Why don’t more good people run?

Why don't better qualified people run for public office in Nevada?

That's a complaint I hear from time to time. And it's usually followed by a reference to "the media," or to the Review-Journal or to a specific reporter, or, alas, to me.

Good people don't run for public office in Nevada because journalists put candidates through the ringer, goes the refrain. Respectable people think twice before subjecting themselves to that kind of treatment.

Look, for whatever role journalists play in creating that sentiment, let me begin this essay by issuing a blanket apology.

I'm sorry if we've given any potential public servant any reason to shrink from public service. I mean it. The last thing Nevada needs, especially in this recession, is fewer good leaders.

That's not to say that all current elected officials are substandard. Truth is we have some honest ones, Democrat and Republican, who seek only to serve. And, we have thousands of good citizens waiting in the wings for the right moment to give back to their city, county or state.

If you are one, let me assure you that the Review-Journal's intent is not to scare you from running for office. Our mission is to aggressively report the news and give voters independent analysis of the candidates.

We try to be fair. We strive to be even-handed. But, I hope you will understand, that when elected officials misbehave, our reporting can -- and will -- get very personal and, frankly, a bit gritty. Just ask my friend Sen. John Ensign. Or Gov. Jim Gibbons. Through no fault but their own, their stupid acts became front page news.

If how we treated John or Jim gives prospective office seekers pause, then I'd ask you to reconsider ... unless, of course, you're the kind of person who pokes his wife's best friend or puts the make on every cocktail waitress in the zip code. Then, you might think twice.

Otherwise, you will find nothing but fair treatment from us. And if you think you're not getting fair treatment from my newspaper, well, I'm not exactly unreachable.

With that said, allow me to draw your attention to a court case in Las Vegas in which Republican Danny Tarkanian alleges Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, libeled him during the 2004 state senatorial campaign.

It's an unusual case only because it has progressed beyond the usual mudslinging of a Nevada political campaign into the sterile environment of District Court. And, in that courtroom we are being reminded under oath that dirty politics doesn't start with the media -- it starts with the campaigns themselves.

Sen. Schneider said on the witness stand that it is "normal" in a Nevada state Senate race to hire a private detective to do "opposition research." He did so, and the result of that "research" was to produce direct-mail fliers, not all of which Schneider reviewed.

He also under oath told the jury that as a politician engaged in a campaign, he didn't need hard evidence to dish the dirt.

Tarkanian, who lost the election, says Schneider's allegations of criminal behavior were not only false; they also crossed the line of political speech.

I'm glad this case went to court, because the next time some politician tells me that newspapers are the reason more good people don't run for office, I'm going to refer them to the case transcript.

Mr. and Mrs. Opposition Research Politician -- heal thyself.

Sherman Frederick (sfrederick@reviewjournal.com) is publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media.