I'm not really sure about you're question, but her bad press is because the media don't like her. Not only do they not like her, they hate the people she represents. Same reason as so many other conservatives or traditional people get chewed up and spit out by the MSM. They consider Palin a laughing stock, a rural country bumpkin, and she will always be a target for them.
Look, it isn't fair, but that's what she'd have to overcome to be a serious presidential candidate. A media that is out to ridicule and destroy her. It's not just her, lots of conservatives face the same thing. Palin gets it worse in some cases because she's a woman - and we all know the left hates conservatives that they believe should be "victims".
Saying that does not make her a viable general election candidate. She just didn't make the kind of choices that seem to lead to that possibility. Palin had a golden opportunity to run in 2012 and opted out, probably because she is smart enough to know she couldn't win.
I agree with most all of that. So we have a choice. Either accept their script or not. If we do, then don’t be shocked when they continue to repeat it with every conservative that gains any traction. If we don’t, then we stand for what we claim we believe in and will fight for it.
I agree that she could have done things differently. But I maintain that it is just as likely she didn’t run exactly because people won’t stand behind her/their claimed beliefs, as any other reason. And it would seem, more likely to me.