Posted on 12/10/2008 5:23:49 PM PST by lewisglad
The media is ruthless. There's no getting around it. No matter how diligently we argue that a certain candidate was unfairly attacked, there is no denying that any candidate, whether black or white, liberal or conservative (especially conservative), male or female, will experience the wrath of the media's brutal assault.
I read the last issue of the Spectator about Sarah Palin and I have several issues with it. The first is his claim that the media was overly harsh when ridiculing her policies and behavior. Yes – I'll admit that the media was unnecessarily critical when it scrutinized almost every aspect of her appearance. A man running for office would probably not be subject to this kind of superficial nit-picking. However, we need to keep in mind that the media's ideological attacks were not out of the ordinary, and often portrayed her in a kind of satirical manner which helped citizens view her in a different light.
The media also acted this way towards her because of conditions the McCain campaign imposed on her. For weeks, they bottled her up, fearful that she would say or do something wrong. She was excluded from press conferences and interviews for quite a while, and the McCain campaign claimed they did this to keep her in line before briefing her completely about these situations. In part, Palin's lack of experience caused the media's criticism, so she is not entirely at fault. On the other hand, her past indicates that she may not be as well-versed in politics as she should be, and therefore the media may be justified in its observations.
In addition, if we say that Palin received unwelcome remarks, then we must also accuse her of the same thing. Isn't that what politicians do? They attack their opponents. What difference does it make who it comes from? The fact of the matter is that while the media may have made Palin look incompetent, Biden and Obama did the same thing, only perhaps in a way that was slightly more subtle but no less derogatory. Palin also attacked the Democrats, and what was worse about her commentary was that some of the things she said were outright wrong. For example, "Palin also told those gathered that Obama doesn't like American soldiers," reported Dana Milbank in the New York Times. She backed up her claim using quotes that were out of context. Moreover, a statement like this does not command respect because it is so obviously futile and inconsequential.
This is the most important distinction that Molfetas failed to make between Geraldine Ferraro's historic nomination and Palin's significantly less historic one. Geraldine Ferraro commanded respect. I don't care whether you are male or female: a candidate needs to have a certain aura about him or her, and if this is missing, the media will be on the prowl 24/7.
Molfetas wrote that "for elites, social mobility is disturbing." It may be true that elites are afraid of falling to a lower socio-economic status, but Palin's ordinary background and ascendance to political power are certainly not "threats" to the higher class. The fact that Sarah Palin went to a public school and grew up in a working class family is not why the media feels the need to attack her – her folksiness and casual demeanor, unfortunately, come across as unprofessional, and this is why we might feel wary about her.
Should we dismiss our uncertainties? We should want them to be so many times smarter than we are that it's embarrassing. I cannot understand why Molfetas would say that the elected officials do not "need to know whether Africa is a country or a continent." Shouldn't we desire for our country a well-informed leader with a sense of the world so we can make progress? Not knowing fifth-grade geography is a serious problem.
In accordance with this point, I'll point out something else Molfetas wrote: "Palin, like Obama, understood what it meant to be growing up in an ordinary family making ends meet." If this is so, then why didn't the media crusade against Obama for his background? Palin's nomination and subsequent exposure to the media's microscope was not due to a fear of social mobility but rather, other traits which could apply to any candidate given the cunning methods of the media. Palin's nomination may have been controversial, but it was not historic, simply because she lacked the experience and knowledge required for a serious vice-presidential candidate.
Nice try, Allison. You flunk.
Gee, Allison - "Sarah Palin went to a public school and grew up in a working class family", so it's logical to a moron like you that it might be possible that Palin doesn't know fifth-grade geography.
It just so happens that the "working class family" that Palin grew up in was headed by not one, but TWO public school teachers.
Having some familiarity with parental public school teachers (my mother was one, and we hung around with other school teacher families), I can tell you that Palin's house was probably littered with books on twenty different subjects, including geography. To say nothing of the various maps and the obligatory National Geographic subscription.
Also, the children of teachers usually have a lot of scholastic pressure put on them to excel. Seen it many times, myself.
bfll
Does a fish know he’s wet?
Don’t ask a media person if he’s objective. He assumes he is; he in actual fact has no clue.
The rules of journalism:If it bleeds, it leadsdo not speak at all to "the public interest" but to the commercial imperative that journalism must interest the public - which can be, and typically is, an entirely different matter.Man Bites Dog, not Dog Bites Man
There's nothing more worthless than yesterday's newspaper
But you can hardly expect a journalist to admit that to himself - let alone to you.
The author is a pathetic excuse for a human being. Hence she is a journalist.
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