David Yepsen, the Des Moines Register’s chief political writer, said journalists should focus more on campaign issues rather than the “horse race” in political campaigns.

Yepsen said Wednesday night at a Society of Professional Journalists meeting at Iowa State that most newspapers print the candidates’ issues, especially on election day. But, he said, there will always be people who do not pay attention to the candidates until it is time to vote.

“It’s just like a second roll of toilet paper. It’s good to know it’s there,” Yepsen said of the availability of campaign information.

Papers are trying to get a grip and are going back to covering the issues, he said. “People want to know about the horse race, but people also want to know issues,” Yepsen said.

On the “horse race,” Yepsen said Republican candidate Bob Dole may come out ahead.

But, he said, interpretations of caucuses and straw polls can vary.

The first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Des Moines, and it will be “something to see,” he said.

Complaints are often made about the caucuses being held at night. Some feel that the time is discriminatory to certain groups, such as single mothers and people who work at night, Yepsen said.

But a good thing about the caucus system is that it is the only time the candidates will actually talk to people, he said. “T.V. won’t buy an election.”

Politics are mean and ugly, Yepsen said, and whoever has the most money, usually has the best chance. But politics have always been dirty and “now it’s on T.V. and is barfed into our laps every night.”

People are really being turned off by politics, he said, but we can’t solve our problems by walking away from them.

Yepsen said he thinks media should accept a lot of the blame for the way people view politics, but conflict is news.