SA panel of journalists and political strategists called for federal laws on campaign contributions to be eliminated in a discussion last Wednesday in Sturm Hall’s Lindsay Auditorium.

Approximately 50 students, professors and community members gathered from noon-2 p.m. for the panel, titled “Strategists & Journalists: How the Media and the Parties Shape Political Messages in Colorado.”

The panel discussed issues such as campaign fund management, Colorado politics and the relationship between journalists and campaign staff. The panel included Mike Melanson, campaign manager for Gov. John Hickenlooper; Dick Wathams, republican political consultant; Karen Crummy, investigative and political reporter for the Denver Post and Eli Stokols, political reporter for KDVR Fox 31 News.

All the panelists said they agreed that campaign restrictions should be fully lifted.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) mandates that individuals can contribute a maximum of $2,500 to a national candidate and corporations can give up to $5,000 to a national candidate.

“We could go to jail if we coordinate with campaign organizations,” said Wathams. “There’s no reason why the government should protect people.”

Melanson agreed, saying campaign finance laws are so restrictive it prevents them from competing. Both Melanson and Wathams said it would be better to get rid of campaign fund restrictions and instead require full disclosure of where the contributions come from.

Crummy said she thought it was best to remove campaign contribution restrictions as well.

“It’s hard to trace the money; I reach dead ends,” said Crummy. “It’s so important to figure out where the money comes from, but we just don’t know.”

The panelists also discussed the ongoing relationship between reporters and campaign managers and staff. Both campaign strategists Melanson and Wathams said working with newspapers is an important strategy to campaigning.

“Working with the paper doesn’t mean you’ll win, but not working with it certainly could mean you’ll lose,” said Melanson.

Melanson also said he works to build relationships with reporters because it is “critically important to putting [the] spin on the story.”

Fox 31 News political reporter Stokols also said campaign strategists recognize the press has a large reach in Colorado.

“They want their stuff on the news,” said Stokols. “Campaigns are more and more sophisticated. They try to control the message, which makes our job more difficult.”Denver Post reporter Crummy said she makes sure to pay close attention to everything a candidate does to see if he or she makes a mistake.

“Both sides lie a lot,” said Crummy, adding that people don’t seem to care as much anymore.

Stokols agreed and said rather people seem to self-select exactly what they want to hear. He said cable news often exasperates partisanship.

“People vote with their remotes,” said Stokols. “They’re set in their own worldview and ideologies and they reinforce it.”

The panel was sponsored by the Edward W. and Charlotte A. Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media.