Media: July 2008 Archives

Just thought I'd post this story from the Raleigh News-Observer: N&O subscriber sues the paper for cutting staff.

It's true, as Mariel notes, that there's no conspiracy among MSM types, but that doesn't mean there isn't a bias -- shared attitudes and values among a class that's rather politically and culturally homogenous. That bias has come out in some of the breathless pro-Obama coverage we've seen this year.

While Jonathan's right that some pundits have griped about Obama's shifting positions, that's different from the reporting about him, which has bordered on hagiography.

No, Bridget, McCain won't get fair treatment from the MSM. But then, presidential candidates who whine about the media -- see Clinton, Bill and Hillary -- remind me of sad-sap sports fans who complain about the referees. Life's not fair, get over it.

Presidential campaigns have an army of consultants and millions of dollars to get out their message. If McCain proves unable to do that, it will be nobody's fault but his own.

Bridget raises a valid point about how we tend to focus too much on the wrong things. But I disagree with her diagnosis and prescription.

Most journalists are indeed liberal, as surveys indicate. But the media's tilt in its coverage is not toward liberal orthodoxy, it is toward trivia and titillation. Fixations on Rev. Wright and flag pins hardly signify an unfair tilt to Obama. Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business has proven, 23 years after its publication, to still be the best analysis yet of how politics, religion and education all now worship at the altar of entertainment.

I also doubt that Americans want constant policy comparisons and endless debates. They claim to care rather about testing a candidate's general character and vision -- while actually paying attention only to scandal and gossip. This, not an ideological unfairness, is what fuels the media engine in our day.

I think Bridget brings up a good point about journalistic equity and integrity when covering the 2008 elections. In theory, there would be equal news coverage for both Obama and McCain, but the reality is that the way we get the news today is leaning more toward Obama's direction. And by "we" I'm referring to my generation--the one with the short attention span, and the detrimental ability to feverishly multitask.

But that's not to say it's all good press. Most of my peers and I get our news from campus newspapers or news search engines like Google. And those sources tend to highlight the news with the greatest hits (i.e. the greatest drama). Lately, the buzz about Barack Obama involves his wife, Michelle.

Michelle Obama has become the Jane Fonda of the '08 Elections - she says what she thinks in order to create the greatest shock value. Everything from her comments on American patriotism, her wardrobe choices (gossip websites predict her to be "the next Jackie O"), and her appearance on The View have added to the entire political frenzy surrounding her husband - the biggest draw is that these stories usually have absolutely nothing to do with politics, and are sometimes completely unrelated to Barack Obama.

I see the bias, and hopefully it will calm down now that Obama is the definite Democratic candidate for '08. But, until then, the media frenzy could work to Obama's career advantage, especially among the teenage-to-mid-twenties demographic.

Hey, it worked for Paris Hilton.

For the past few months, the news from the campaign trail has been focused on the photo finish in the Democratic Party. But now that it's just down to Barack Obama and John McCain, will the media coverage even out as it should?

Don't count on it. Obama's every move still grabs enthusiastic top billing. When McCain does make the headlines, it's usually hinged to Obama's latest move, like Obama responding to a McCain policy point or statement that didn't make page one in the first place.

We're past the point of gushing about sunny hope, inspired youths and vague promises of undefined change. We need a stark comparison of the candidates' platforms. Voters might see a clearer picture if Obama had agreed to the nine other town-hall meetings proposed by McCain, but in an ethical world the media should be bringing to the people the equitable coverage and unbiased reporting that would truly aid in making an educated ballot decision.