I have always taken my role as a journalist seriously. I try to maintain objectivity, seek and report information from both sides of a given issue, and request actual answers to my questions. It drives me crazy to see the top tier journalists in this country ask questions of politicians that dance around the issues. If they do ask the hard questions, journalists will accept half-answers, non-answers, or answers to questions that weren’t even asked. And after they hear what comes out of the politicians’ mouths, journalists  don’t push back and get them to actually answer the question.

Maybe they forgot their role as informers of the wider world; maybe they are afraid of losing access to government functionaries; maybe they are afraid of losing their own celebrity status because they are merely objective tellers of the truth, not butt kissing seekers of fame and fortune. And so it’s left to Jon Stewart to question their motives and output.

So here’s some help. Here are some questions to ask of whomever is running for office this year. It will apply to candidates of either party.

1. Define socialism as it would appear in a dictionary and use it in a sentence about a real country you consider to be socialist.

2. If socialism in general and socialized medicine in particular (or single payer if you prefer the term) is so bad, how do you explain that countries like Norway have a better standard of living, better health and well-being, smarter kids, less infant mortality and greater longevity and have weathered the global economy without a recession? If capitalism is so good, how do you explain countries like Russia?

3. If you have ever changed your mind about current social issues like marriage equality and issues of choice, please explain in full how your opinion changed from 10 years ago to the present and why. Be specific about events that triggered your epiphany.

4. If you have strong religious views that you believe with all your heart are correct, and someone else also has strong religious beliefs that she also believes are correct, who is right? And how do you govern so that both faiths are equally guarded, even if you find the other one wrong or distasteful?

5. Some of your supporters say things that you know are not true (here, a good journalist would come up with examples from recent media reports, advertisements, and mailings – like Donald Trump’s continued insistence that Barak Obama is African). Why don’t you say, unequivocally, that those allegations are untrue or twist the truth?

6. Why is it okay to lie or selectively edit what your opposition says? If you say it isn’t okay, then why do you do it (provide examples here)?

7. Why do you listen to experts or statistics when what they say suits your agenda, but discredit them when they don’t (provide examples)? Define right now how you determine what experts speak truth.

8. If you personally don’t believe in something — say marriage equality — but most of your constituents do, how will you vote on that issue? What if that belief is something you think is wrong at a constitutional level — say marriage inequality?

9. What is the balance between the restriction of freedom and safety?Be specific.

10. You have a meeting with a peer — another elected representative from this country or a leader from another country — who has done something wrong in the eyes of the wider world, but this person is important for the continued fiscal success of your constituents. What do you do? Is there ever an instance where you say to heck with the money, it’s more important to call this person and his or her actions out? If so, describe it.

No one will ask these questions. It will be the same old stuff, answered with the same old fluff, and it gives journalists a name nearly as bad as politicians.

Hey Brian Williams! Feel free to prove me wrong.