Media bias and the election

With some trepidation, I offer the following links on the subject of news media liberal bias.
Politico: Why McCain is getting hosed in the press
Slate: No surprises in Fox News discussion of liberal media bias
MarketWatch: Most Republicans see media bias
For some pointed left-right commentary:
Huffington Post
NewsBusters
This came to a head this week, when the McCain campaign lashed out at the LA Times for declining to release a video of Obama. I post with trepidation because I often cannot have healthy conversations on this issue with people who hold political views. Heated and divisive are two good ways to describe the exchanges. What say ye?

Journalists and voting

I received a question this week from a student, asking whether she should cast a ballot, given that she's a journalist. "Does it hinder my ability to be objective," she asked.
This is an interesting effort at transparency from Slate, the online magazine.
What do you think of this? Frankly, I remain a bit unsure myself. I voted when I was a reporter, mainly because the mere act of voting didn't seem to threaten my objectivity. In fact, I was usually better at being fair when I was honest with myself and others about my own opinions.

Hate and the election

This story raises points worth reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/politics/21whites.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Tell me what you think about hate speech. Should we allow people to spout racist views? The Secret Service is investigating at least one threat against Obama yelled at a Palin campaign rally. Should their intervention go beyond threats? I, for one, am surprised that race has not been a more vitriolic issue in this campaign (aside, of course, from last week's food stamp debacle). Do you agree? Why?

SNL and elections

Anyone watch Sarah Palin on SNL last night, as played by both Tiny Fey and Palin herself?

Check out this post from a 202er:

So I was the last group to do our ethics media analysis. We did ours on humor and politics dealing with Daily Show and SNL. Then this morning at the serf, CNN played this story on one of their news cast.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/17/snl.politics/index.html

This could be interesting to share with the other class members.

Political advertising

J-School affiliated faculty member Ken Goldstein has interesting followup to the debate and assertions about the negativity of political ads:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/14838

I also found this perspective intriguing:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/163476

Communication beyond all reason

I'm going to let this one speak for itself.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_buck16.3d67d4a.html

Debate formats

The upcoming (and final) debate moderator offers some comments about what he hopes to achieve. What have you thought of the formats to date? Fair? Productive? Informative?

Pulling aside the curtain

Check out this fascinating piece about the slate of rumors that Barack Obama is secretly Muslim, and the man behind the ideas. Think about credibility and sources, as we've been discussing.
What is Martin's personal obligation to be accurate and truthful? Did Fox News have an obligation to vet his credibility before inviting him as a guest? Did other media outlets have an obligation to look into his background?

Daily Show

So in the volume-challenged and time-elapsing lecture hall Monday morning, I didn't get a chance to play that last video for you.

Go to Comedy Central and watch the video marked "Sarah Palin Gender Card."

So what is the Daily Show? Is it journalism? If so, how so? If not, why not? It matters a great deal because you and your peers watch it more than you consume mainstream news media.

Political bickering

A new post from a 202er:

Hey Katy,

Thought this would be great for the blog. This CNN clip is about broadcast news anchors getting mad with each other on air over how their stations have covered the elections. I guess it shows the strains on the talking heads when they talk about the same issues endlessly!

Enjoy

The Race Card

I found this column intriguing. It's an argument about reactions to race in the presidential campaigns and how small comments can be inflated. I liked the way he tied it to past campaigns to illuminate the differences, especially the Willie Horton case, which was a key issue in the presidential race when I was your age (does that make me sound as old as I think it does?).
So what do you think? How does race matter here, if at all? Is it being used strategically by either side in the Democratic race? What will happen in the general election?

Getting it Wrong in Politics

Lots of chatter right now about political reporting and the prediction debacle in New Hampshire. I tasted a different flavor in this Politico piece, so I recommend it.

Politico 4 U

The politics-junkie site politico.com launched a campus minisection today.
Will you use it? Does it cover the interests of your generation? Do you care about politics?