May 07 2008
The Failure Of The Press
The American press blew it completely on covering Barack Obama. So says a longtime member of said American press - in fact, a professor who teaches journalism and contributes to USA Today, Don Campbell.
The vetting of presidential and vice presidential candidates has long been a responsibility that journalists took seriously:
Two reporters won a Pulitzer Prize for disclosing that George McGovern's short-lived choice for running mate in 1972, Thomas Eagleton, had been treated for mental illness.
In 1984, news exposure of the financial dealings of Geraldine Ferraro's husband after she became Walter Mondale's running mate threw that campaign into a tizzy.
In 1988, reporters discovered that Dan Quayle, George H.W. Bush's obscure running mate, had used family influence to land a cushy desk job in the Indiana National Guard and avoid service in Vietnam.
In this election, alas, most of the bloodhounds have lost their sense of smell. For the most part, they've relinquished that space to bloggers and radio talkers who have an ideological agenda, not an obligation to root out the facts and present them fairly.
Wright coverage
Thus, the coverage of Obama's spiritual relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the Trinity United Church of Christ is disturbing. True, Wright sounded so unhinged on his recent ego tour in Washington that it might generate sympathy for Obama. But the issue still hanging is how a man who played such an important role in Obama's life for more than two decades drew so little scrutiny from reporters covering the Obama campaign. And since Obama himself has said the Wright controversy is a legitimate issue, I'll take that as an invitation to weigh in.
First, it took much too long for major news media outlets to appreciate the importance of the Wright connection. (Not that they all do yet; the pummeling of ABC News by commentators for raising this and similar issues in the Pennsylvania debate further illustrated how out of touch some commentators are.)
There is quite a lot more, I'd urge readers to follow the link and read it all. Campbell obviously believes that the press fell flat on its collective face on Obama. Which makes you wonder how brutal the backlash is going to be when the press realizes it failed. It also makes you wonder how much more dirt there is out there that the media is pretending not to notice. This is what the Clinton camp has been hinting at: that Obama has not been vetted by the press the way she has.
Is there an October surprise big enough to sink Obama?
7 Responses to “The Failure Of The Press”
Is there an October surprise big enough to sink Obama?
Maybe, but because the MSM is in the tank for He Whose Middle Name Must Not Be Mentioned we will have little word from them about it before December 2099 or so.
But we will have an October Surprise in an attempt to derail McCain.
There is no print press any longer. There are only periodicals that cheer their political agenda. Not that there ever really was an objective press but in the old days at least most towns had a Republican paper and a Democrat paper. Not anymore.
The question is whether John McCain has the guts to call mR. Changey Hopefullness out.
I know this will come as a complete shock to all of those Pinot Noir sipping "progressives"…you remember them, the folks who dont understand how George Bush could get elected because they dont know anyone who voted for him…but Obama is unelectable.
The only "October Surprise" will be experienced by the "Progressive" elites.
The only "October Surprise" will be experienced by the "Progressive" elites.
In a straight, honest vote - yes. But since the near steal of the Presidency by Democrats in 2000, continuing fraud by ACORN and other Democrat Party organs, the "creative counting" in the Washington state governor’s race that overturned a Republican victory and forcibly installed a Democrat in his place, I am not so sure. This could be the year that Robert Mugabe-style politcs finally siezes control of America.
Twenty years from now will we still be looking at President-for-Life Obama?
"…the press fell flat on its collective face on Obama?"
No, the press willfully looked the other way.
Wright’s hateful, racist spewings clash horribly with the misty, watercolored infatuation with Obama that has characterized the mainstream media’s coverage of this resume-less good-sounding, content-free far-eft liberal since the get-go … a man with a record chiefly characterized by the fact that he hasn’t <em>left a record.</em> (Voting <em>"present"</em> on a bill? WTF???!?)
Nobody’s supposed to wake up ’til <em>after</em> the election, when he’ll have the House and Senate in place to do what he pleases. Whatever that happens to be…
God help the ignorant, witless stooges supporting this flake. God help us all!
I agree with Fred. The mainstream press deliberately ignored Wright until they were forced to cover him. Even then they immediately started trying to spin it. They have gone out of their way to avoid printing anything that might tarnish the Obamessiah in any way. He is their "guy" and they are going to lift him into the White House no matter how much crap they have to ignore!