Fair and Balanced

Fair and Balanced

This is an election year, surprise! Not only is this an election year, but it’s a historic election year. This is the first time in our nation’s history that an African American has been in serious contention for the White House (sorry, Al Sharpton does not count). This is also only the second time in American history that a woman has been nominated for the Vice Presidency for one of the major two political parties (see Geraldine Ferraro who ran with Walter Mondale in 1984). Unless you have cut off all lines of communication with anyone within the past 6 weeks, you’ve heard the news; Senator John McCain has selected the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his Vice Presidential running mate. The reason why you’d have to cut all lines of communication is because the media has literally treated this story with just as much frenzy as it did during the downward spiral of Britney Spears.
It seems that the media is running a smear campaign against Governor Palin. The media has portrayed her in the most negative of lights. It has focused on potential scandals that she may or may not be linked to and has disregarded her accomplishments in Wasilla, Alaska and during her current, albeit brief stint as Governor of Alaska. The media has sunk so low that they "uncovered" photos of Governor Palin during the bathing suit competition when she competed in the Miss Alaska pageant, in which she finished second runner up (or third place). These pictures were shown repeatedly on 24 hour news channels the weekend they were "released" to the public. Would they have done such a thing had Senator McCain selected a male as his running mate? Probably not. McCain’s pick was strategic and a brilliant move in itself. Here’s why:
McCain used his vice presidential pick to bring some excitement to his ticket. Too often he had been criticized by the media and his opponent, Senator Barack Obama, of being "more of the same", referring to the politics of President George W. Bush. The media and Democrats had blasted him for being "too old" and "out of touch" with today’s generation. He made the smartest move he could be selecting a candidate that has a track record of reform as well as a youthful vitality needed to not only generate buzz for his campaign but also sway undecided voters to his ticket. Democrats lamented that this move was nothing more than a shameful ploy to draw votes from former Clinton supporters that were still jaded from the nomination. I have heard people say that Governor Palin is nothing more than a straw man (or straw woman) being used by the Republican party to ensure at least 4 more years of policies similar to President George W. Bush. What they have failed to admit is that a Vice Presidential pick is intended to compliment weaknesses and minimize criticisms of the Presidential nominee. Senator Obama did the exact same thing by picking Senator Biden as his running mate. Senator Obama has been criticized as lacking experience in both tenure and foreign policy, two qualities that Senator Biden more than makes up for. In the same way, Governor Palin was selected for the youth and energy that she could bring to the campaign to make McCain more competitive for the youth vote; a voting cohort that political analysts say Obama had taken a great lead in. If you look closely at the two campaigns you will see that the candidates almost mirror each other; Palin to Obama and McCain to Biden. This was done intentionally to make each party as competitive with the other as possible and garner more votes.
But the media, as it always does, is playing a very influential role in the Presidential election. In much the same way that it painted a very elaborate picture of George W. Bush as incompetent, it is portraying Governor Palin as more of a "cheerleader" and without the necessary credentials to be Vice-President and potentially lead the nation. Katie Couric, a staunch Palin critic, put forth a great effort to make Governor Palin look as foolish as possible in their interview that has become an overnight sensation on YouTube. She painted a picture of Palin’s ignorance regarding McCain’s positions and track records and also chided her for her lack of executive experience as did the rest of the media following that interview. Has any major news media that interviewed Senator Obama really hit hard on his policies in order to make him out to seem a fool? Maybe Fox News, but that may be the only media outlet that has made such an effort. It seems that the media that has access to the Presidential nominees has painted Senator Obama as more of the "visionary", "savior", "new hope of our generation", and has portrayed Obama in the most positive light possible. Palin and McCain however, have been portrayed in the most negative by most media outlets. Still need more convincing?
Think about the "fluff" stories that have come out about the candidates. You have Oprah that welcomed Senator Barack and Michelle Obama to her show and did a very soft story to help him connect with the voters. That same Oprah refuses to have Governor Palin on her show until after the election. Does that seem fair? What about Us Magazine that published the fluff story about Michelle Obama entitled, "Why Barack Loves Her" and then a month later turns around and runs the following cover containing a picture of Governor Palin, "Babies, Lies, & Scandals". Does that seem biased? What about the media’s story about Senator McCain’s failed marriage proposal to the Brazilian dancer? What about media blogs have tried to create rumors that Governor Palin’s newborn baby Trig is not hers, but is rather her 17 year old daughter’s child. If you include the photos aired all weekend of Governor Palin in her bathing suit, the media has engaged in a smear campaign against not only the McCain/Palin ticket, but also against the second female Vice Presidential nominee for a major party. These attacks not only seem biased against the Republican ticket, but also sexist in nature. The last time I checked, the Presidential and Vice Presidential race were not selected based on the swimsuit competition.
But this is nothing new for the media. They have framed every presidential campaign starting back with Nixon and Kennedy. I’m not saying that Governor Palin is the most qualified candidate for Vice President ever. She clearly has her shortcomings, but then again all candidates involved do (even though she surpassed people’s expectations during the Vice Presidential debate). But that’s not the point. The point is that the media has unfairly portrayed one ticket in positive light over the other; their way of swaying the election. The media should have an obligation to be objective and not slant stories to one side of the political spectrum or the other. Reasonable access and equal time laws have been upheld to give political candidates equal access to the broadcast airwaves so that they can speak to their fellow citizens and ask for their vote. Maybe its about time that Oprah gets hit with another lawsuit so that she will provide at least reasonable access and equal time to Governor Palin, unless of course Oprah is above our laws (which very well could be the case).