Dear FRONTLINE,

I think you have done it again, another polished and evenhanded program. As we draw closer to the election I am reminded in watching the show how important it can be to step back from the emotionally charged rhetoric of the campaign and look at our candidates on a broader scale. Thanks for that summary. One portion which particularly sticks out in my mind was the bit about Bush's race to the Republican nomination in 2000. I forgot how dirty that campaign got and the ambition which drove it has new meaning to me now.

Well done.

Andrew Hay
Tucson, AZ

Dear FRONTLINE,

I thought your program was very interesting. Good information on both men. The cry of bias when you discuss a politician’s public record never falls to astonish me.

Jim Hall
Folsom, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Having enjoyed your previous broadcast prior to the Bush-Gore election of 2000, I looked forward to tonight's airing on the current candidates. Imagine my surprise to find out that even Mr. Bush's "good" points can be attributed to mere opportunism and disingenuous religiosity. In contrast, I was equally surpised to find that Mr. Kerry is a poor, maligned and misunderstood philosopher-king. I had hoped Frontline was above such sophistry.

Rick Crowell
Santa Clarita, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

The closing remarks absolutely floored me:

Kerry... takes his service seriously both militarily and service to government, very seriously.

Bush wants to leave a footprint...a big footprint

In the end you couldn't help yourselves - "very serious service" vs "a big foot print" There is no way that a serious and fair minded producer could ever let that pass as fair journalism.

Thomas Sawtell
Edmonds, WA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Breathtaking! I have always admired Frontline for its independent, in-depth investigations into matters of great concern to our society, but tonight presentation, the choice 2004, was incredible. Thank you for the clarity with which you presented the important differences between these two candidates.

The decisions that face us all this election season are profound, and I appreciate the effort to help bring clarity to the process. If other media outlets brought as much evenhandedness to there coverage our country would be much better served.

Hans Ritter
Los Angeles, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Bush was portrayed as shallow and without admirable qualities important to the presidency. Noteably, the reporter only spoke on camera when speaking about Bush. For some reason, Frontline was able to get people who knew Kerry to speak about him. The reporter thus felt he should give us his "insight" into the Bush. I kept wondering why I should care what the reporter thought.

Randy Morris
Novato, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Frontline, one word: Spectacular.

This show helped me to gain more understanding, admiration, and respect for both George Bush and John Kerry. Head and shoulders above what we get from network television.

Amy Entze
Seattle, WA

Dear FRONTLINE,

As a registered Republican, and a fierce follower of this election, I found this program incredibly entertaining and important. It provided a well-balanced look at both candidates, an accurate history of both men, as well as a great look on each of their character. Programming like this should be aired across every American household, not propaganda like the 90-minute segment that Sinclair Broadcasting intends on running on national television which totally discredits the Republican Party.

David Johnson
Downey, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I would like to be able toss this off as just one more example of the liberal media pumping their candidate, but it goes far deeper than that. This is a presidential election at a crucial point in our history, and you produce a two hour campaign ad for John Kerry, AND a two hour attack on George Bush. You cannot claim that this is journalism. Where is Edward R. Murrow when you really need him?

Mick Brady
Santa Barbara, California

Dear FRONTLINE,

... There was nothing more telling then the last 2 minutes of the broadcast that tell of a Kerry that believes in government and is motivated to serve the people, however W is only out to leave a "Huge GW Footprint" for himself in history... What a crock. I hope there is a bill soon to cease the funding of PBS..

Michael & Sally Agee
Colton, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Although I found the presentation interesting, you left out other negative components re John Kerry. you ended the program saying "voters will make the choice." I got the distinct message that your underlying thought was "vote for Kerry." I would have enjoyed and learned more if your program was more balanced.

Carole Velasquez
Danville, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I found the program to be a disappointment and void of many important facts. You portray the President's campaigns both for governor and president to be harsh and attacking while omitting the never-ending tactics used against President Bush by the DNC, media, Michael Moore, and George Soros' moveon.org.

You also failed to expose John Kerry as he really is. Over the course of 3 years he had numerous positions on Iraq, Saddam, and the war on terror. These are very important issues and PBS failed. PBS now ranks with the numerous news shows that capture gossip and hear say void of little truth.

Reba Coruthens
Fresno, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Dear Frontline,

First, I voted for Bill Clinton twice and Al Gore one.

I was hoping to get a fair depiction of both candidates, but I quickly realized this was a promotion of John Kerry.

There was really nothing negative mentioned about Kerry, conversly, it seems about 80% of the information about Bush was negative.

I keep hearing Republicans talking about a biased media and as I become more and more informed, I am sorry to say that I tend to agree. And now on PBS. Bummer.

Dale Smith
san diego, california

Dear FRONTLINE,

This was truly revelatory and stunning. I applaud your team for presenting the two candidates in such an unbiased and informative way. My decision to vote for one of the candidates was solidified through this program, but in viewing this excellent documentary, I gained a much more nuanced understanding of the other has expanded my thinking - a very rare occurrance in these days of rabid partisanship.

Matthew Miller
Seattle, WA

Dear FRONTLINE,

A check of the senders of many of the negative posts in this thread will reveal these individuals to be bloggers of FreeRepublic.com, a conservative website. I am sorry that they must direct their hate-filled rhetoric at you.

I have been watching public television for 35 years. I am a liberal, but have not always agreed with your viewpoint. There is an inherent bias in television directors and producers, some liberal and some conservative.

There has not, and never will be, television programming completely free from bias and a point of view. This is because the programming is created by thinking people.

Please continue to provide innovative and interesting programming, and ignore those small minds who have nothing better to do with their time.

Richard Cleary
Norwalk, CA