We mentioned it several times in the newspaper and some of you still didn't believe it. Or better yet, you had to see for yourself that the AJC did in fact run a special section on John McCain in March when he clinched the Republican Party nomination.

The AJC received nearly 100 calls and e-mails questioning the fairness of running a special section on Barack Obama last Sunday, despite several mentions in our print edition that copies of a special section on McCain were available by contacting our newsroom customer care team.

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Wrote one letter writer: "I was astounded over Sunday's paper. Dedicated to Barack H. Obama. I am sure I can assume that next Sunday's paper will be dedicated to John McCain. After all you are a news reporting media — unbiased and true? Your paper's liberal views are so obvious that I am considering cancelling my subscription after all these years."

The AJC's McCain and Obama sections are identical in size and appearance, and similar in tone and content. Both listed where the candidates stand on issues; things you might not know about them; their possible vice presidential choices; details about their formative years, their wives and their families. The sections were meant to be commemorative rather than exhaustive, said Bert Roughton, the AJC's managing editor for print.

The Obama section mentioned the Jeremiah Wright controversy, while the McCain section covered criticism that he and four Senate colleagues faced when they were accused of influencing banking regulators on behalf of Charles Keating, who was later convicted of securities fraud.

"These special sections represent just one element in our plans to provide readers comprehensive and balanced coverage of the election," said Roughton. "We will provide readers as much as we can about both McCain and Obama, with a heavy focus on where they stand on the issues. We will go pretty deep, issue by issue, in a way that the special sections didn't allow for."

What might the AJC have done to head off reader perceptions that Obama received special treatment? A few colleagues suggested publishing the special sections on the same day or in closer proximity. When the idea for the sections emerged, no one was expecting the Democratic race to go on as long as it did, said Roughton. Waiting to publish a section on McCain wouldn't have been timely, since he secured the nomination in early March. Another colleague suggested one special section on both candidates.

Some readers believe the AJC and other media outlets have favored Obama from the beginning because he has run on a platform of changing the status quo. Some of you contend the AJC editorial board's endorsement of Obama in the primary means the news department won't cover the race fairly. Editors and reporters in news don't base coverage decisions on editorial board positions. Obama's candidacy is indeed historic in nature; he is the first African-American to lead a major party in this country. He accomplished that by building a coalition of voters of all races. But this doesn't mean the AJC will avoid running stories critical of Obama.

Clayton County Board of Education candidate forum: The stakes have never been higher for the Clayton County school system, which faces a possible loss of accreditation this year. Thirty-two candidates are vying for seven school board seats in the July 15 election.

On Sunday, June 22, the AJC and WBS-TV are co-sponsoring a candidate forum that is open to the public. The forum, which will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at Clayton State University, will give voters a chance to hear the candidates discuss a range of issues. Readers can submit possible questions for the candidates starting Monday on ajc.com/metro/clayton.

School board members have a great deal of power. Here's your chance to meet them and find out more about how they will serve the students, parents and taxpayers in Clayton County.