Bias in the Election Coverage

To follow up on my previous comment:
The one concrete example cited by Malone is the medias failure to look up Obama’s high-school drug dealer. But that is a relationship that died over thirty years ago. What are the current stories that the media is ignoring?

SCG, how about these five:
1. Rezko – No serious investigation of the ongoing lawsuits by bank employees who assert in sworn testimony that the bank pressured them to lie on appraisals to allow Rezko’s wife to get the loan and allow the deal.
2. Khalidi – Virulently anti-Israel, close associate of Obama “in the neighborhood”
3. ACORN ties – Longstanding, undeniable, and unreported.
4. 1 MILLION DOLLAR earmark for Michelle’s employer, followed up by a 250K a year raise for Michelle. Never reported.
5. Obama’s trip to Pakistan – No details, no investigation if he used Indonesian passport. In 1981, NO AMERICAN COULD GET INTO PAKISTAN BECAUSE IT WAS UNDER MARTIAL LAW. Obama must have used a non-American passport. Again, not reported.

Seems to me all that I hear and read lately is about John McCain and what he needs to do to win. Thurs. night the lead was about McCain, and there was one story for each. Doesn’t seem one sided to me.

Well, perhaps it’s because the Palin/McCain ticket are just a freaking trainwreck bringing it all on themselves. Obama/Biden have been surprisingly good at not giving anybody easy shots. And, as we all know, the modern media isn’t going to bother getting off the couch to investigate something, it’s got to be spoonfed to them.

Let’s see what kind of pro-Obama coverage we’ve been seeing:
1. Ignoring Troopergate–oh, wait, that’s Sarah Palin.
2. Not asking hard questions about ties to Gordon Liddy—oh wait, that’s McCain.
3. Ignoring the unwed, pregnant teenage daughter—oh, wait, that’s Sarah Palin.
Oh, I know. How about keeping the Ayer’s non-scandal going with no proof? How about the ACORN questions that Obama had to keep answering over and over again? How about questioning whether McCain’s “That one” remark was offensive when they knew that d**m well it was. How about questioning, probing, and hounding Obama more in the past few months than McCain in the last 30 years.
And don’t even get me started on Bush’s free pass—for the last 8 years!

The funny part about this stupid column is that the things Malone says have gone unreported have been reported at length … on this very blog.
You have a running series on Biden’s gaffes, You have talked at length About Rezko and Ayers for eight months and there was a frontpage story in the NYt about Obama’s drug use.
Anything else, Mr Malone ?

JG
Maybe it was not reported because it is a LIE.

The losing team always whines about press ‘bias’. Prof. Larry Sabato said that and he is right. You know you are losing when your only strategy is to complain about the media.
“the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side” is due to the fact that Sarah Palin wasn’t vetted by the McCain folks. Don’t blame the media. Sarah Palin refuses to appear on any of the Sunday morning talk shows or do a real live press conference. If anything, the press has been too kind to Palin and the McCain camp.

You might call it bias, or you might call it the press constructing themes for this election.
I didn’t like it when the press bought into the ‘Al Gore says he invented the internet’ mime. Gore of course never said he invented the internet, only that he acted as a Senator to get the money that helped the development of the internet — and the people who did invent the internet agree with that.
In this case, the press has seen John McCain push some stupid stories, long after it because apparent that they were deceitful and have started including the conclusion that McCain is a desperate liar into their reporting.
I think I am going to have to fault McCain, though. He is the one who pushed the idea that Obama ‘palls around’ with terrorists.
McCain is the one who pushed the idea that Obama is a socialist because he wants to return the upper tax rate to the pre-Bush level (while cutting the taxes of 95% of Americans).
McCain is the one who insisted on making Joe the Plumber his mascot long after it became apparent that A) Joe doesn’t make near $250,000 and B) Ordinary Joes DON’T MAKE near $250,000.
Never mind the countless falsehoods pushed by the McCain camp regarding Sarah “reforming her own history” Palin.
The price to pushing falsehoods is that people (even reporters) stop taking you at your word.
this stupid idea that voting to return the highest tax bracket to the pre-Bush level consitututes ‘socal

Pew Research just did a poll and nearly 80% of the country sees the pres in the tank for Obama. Those who deny it are really intellectually dishonest.
Also, further proof of media bias needed? Watch the press defend leftists and leftists defend the press on this very comment section. It’s hilarious to see the allies deny their alliance.

It is like I killed a man and I am complaining that the victim doesn’t get the same negative coverage. Try again with the media argument.

And when will the press demand Obama explain how he will give tax cuts to 95% of Americans when only 50% pay taxes? WHEN?????
It’s called welfare Lefties, like it or not but the press knows the public won’t go for that and so they bury it or make excuses for it.

JG
Not really. I think Obama has lots of flaws. But that still doesn’t mean I have to believe your lies.

The McCain/Palin campaign has been a TRAINWRECK so they have gotten MORE negative coverage. That campaign is even talking behind each other’s backs right now 10 days before an election, how UNPROFESSIONAL.
The Obama campaign is a tightly run, NO GOSSIP, NO DRAMA campaign. They RARELY leak to reporters. There is NO infighting.
That’s the difference.

This whole election cycle has been about McCain with Obama as an afterthought. McCain is always covered first and most. Malone needs to watch the local news more.
And don’t forget that not even 24 hours after Obama accepted an historic nomination to even run for President, the media immediately jumped all over McBush picking the most overrated, overexposed, totally useless running mate in history, second only to Dan Quayle in stupidity. Why has this ridiculous woman gotten so much coverage when she has nothing positive or substantial to offer ANYONE?
It’s like the mainstream media were relieved to have someone else to cover besides Obama.
It’s just too bad that these media hacks don’t have term limits. Then we could vote them out!

Malone is simply lying. There IS no tough coverage of the GOP ticket. On the contrary, I’d say.
For instance -
What has the MSM done with the Keating Five scandal?
What with McCain’s ties to domestic terrorist Gordon Liddy (compare THAT to the Ayers coverage… and McCain recently PRAISED Liddy for his philosophy and values…)
Who, except for the NYT, has investigated the shady past of the old boy lobbyist network that constitutes the McCain campaign, and repeatedly reported on it? It’s AMAZING and shocking that Rick Davis is still on board.
Who in the MSM (except for Rolling Stone magazine) has DARED to look into and past McCain’s military record? Looking past the ‘American hero’ cliché?
Where have we seen a follow up on the NYT story about McCain’s mafiaesque ties to the Las Vegas gambling industry, and the regulation he has pushed in that context?
Who has seriously confronted Palin with her disastrous record as a mayor of Wasilla, leaving the small place in great debt?
Who has questioned her husband’s long time adherence to the Alaska Independence Party, America-haters, and even asked one of the Palins a single question on this issue?
Who has confronted Palin with the voodoo rituals and the anti-semitism of Muthee, whereas there is video of her completely subjectinh herself to his blessings??
etcetera etcetera, there’s SO much more
WHEREAS
ALL rumors and vague associations concerning Obama have become center stage issues in the media, and not only here Jake in your blog.
McCain has got a free ride in this race, simply because MSM accepted his “you all know me” slogan.
The GREATEST LIE of this race is that the MSM has been keeping Obama out of the fire.
It IS true though that the MSM clearly FAVORS Obama, and for many good reasons. One of them: they have thrown this candidate into the fire, but he totally kept his cool. He survived it brilliantly, with only a few scratches here and there; and THAT is McCain’s problem.
Had the MSM thrown McCain into such fire, he’d been totally down and out at this stage.

WHAT THIS ELECTION IS REALLY ABOUT:
John McCain has made it perfectly clear that he is mostly concerned with people making more than $250,000.
Barack Obama on the other hand has proved that, even when McCain is resorting to 3rd grade name calling, he is mostly concerned with the middle class.
I have not yet heard John McCain express concern with the fact that real wages for the middle class have gone down during the Bush years.
It’s not difficult for me to decide!

Ikez M.
You do know that Barack Obama is already getting Clasifed briefings as is Mccain ?
You do know that Obama has had FBI security check ?
Sadley even Sarah Palin has passed her FBi security check.. Conditional on her not sharing information with Tod Palin (Due to his links to AIP)
SO GET REAL!

I read his article, WHY WAIT TIL 2 WEEKS BEFORE THIS ELECTION TO SAY THIS!!!!
I have been screaming at the television since january 2008 when this started. ASK THE MAN A HARD QUESTION!!!
Now we are about to elect a weak president when a tough president is needed in these times.

When the media took apart an innocent guy from smalltown U,S.A. they took apart every smalltown person. That was horrible what was done to Joe by the media.
When this guy running for president on the democrat side if he tried to join the FBI or CIA wouldnt pass the security background.

Aw, c’mon, Malone! Do you believe the American electorate are all blind, deaf and dumb as well as stupid? We’re bombarded by the McCain ads thumping the same old drum — bashing his opponent — but not coming up with ANYTHING the least bit concrete and/or workable to fix our economy, get us out of fighting wars in two different countries with a military that’s been stretched too thin, deal with the massive problems with healthcare and education, let alone jobs. Obama isn’t offering any cure-alls; he tells us up front that, just as we’re all part of the problems, we all have to take part in the cures. To those who shrilly whine that ‘Obama and Congressional liberals are going to raise our taxes,’ how else do you expect to raise $700 billion for the Wall Street bailout, shore up our infrastructure and reduce the national debt, support our military forces, reduce unemployment and the national debt? It’s not media bias, Malone, it’s what’s been coming out of the mouthes of the candidates and their surrogates.

Please… Someone will always whine about the media. Republicans do it. Democrats do it. Both sides want to think that the media is somehow biased against their guy or gal in the race. The people crying about media bias must have a short memory, and seem to have forgotten that Obama was raked over the coals by the media during the primary. He was grilled on everything under the sun. As a consequence, there’s not really any new ground to cover with him at this point. Conversely, Palin is new to the field, so people knew little about her. The negative coverage of her has overwhelmingly been of Palin’s own making. When you run as a “maverick” and “reformer,” don’t be surprised if people look at your record to see what it looks like. Also, she kinda invited media scrutiny when she kept going around talking about how she said, “Thanks. But no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere.” After that line was debunked by the media, she should’ve dropped it. Did she? Nope. She kept repeating it. So, is it surprise that people said, “Hey, if she’s lying about that bridge, is there anything else she’s not been straightforward on?” The irony is that if she’d dropped the line, people probably wouldn’t have been so inclined to dig so deep to set the record straight. When you lie to the public, you don’t deserve the public’s sympathy.
Also, I’ve seen people talking about how the Biden gaffes don’t get the same coverage that Palin’s do. For one, they’re different types of gaffes. For instance, Biden made an anachronism about FDR being on tv. That hurts no one, and it certainly does not undercut his knowledge of economic and foreign policy. Palin, however, said that she can see Russia from Alaska, didn’t know what the Bush Doctrine is, doesn’t know the role of the VP, etc. Those are all gaffes that suggest that she’s unprepared for the job, so they got (as they should) more coverage. And, by the way, McCain has made plenty of gaffes that the media has not covered. He’s mixed up borders, refused to commit to meeting with the Spanish President, mixed up Sunni and Shia, etc. None of that was really covered by the press.
I think people are just trying to find a scapegoat for McCain’s failing campaign. But the blame shouldn’t be put on the “liberal media.” McCain-Palin’s failings lie with the candidates themselves. McCain should’ve performed more extensive vetting of his running mate. That alone would’ve saved him a lot of headache.

Yvonne,
Obama specifically admitted to cocaine use, not just pot.
AND NO MSM has investigated this, AT ALL.

Jake, don’t make me laugh. Isn’t FOX the biggest news channel in the USA? And isn’t FOX running, as a “news” and opinion channel, a 24/7 anti-Obama campaign, giving air-time to ANY smear, rumor or lie that might hurt the Dem candidate?
Do the names Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly mean anything to you?
Did you ever hear say Keith Olbermann relate McCain to fascism? Compare that to Hannity’s and all of FOX’s use of socialism and even communism to “discuss” Obama?
Come on. Don’t make me laugh.
And I agree with kurt on the many potentially explosive McCain/Palin issues that the MSM were happy to leave in the closet, whereas the GOP has been BUILDING closets for Obama – and everytime the MSM has reported extensively on it.
So I seriously disagree with the statement made.

“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”
The McCain campaign, once referred to the media as its “base”. When the media started asking legitimate questions of the Senator, he showed that temper of his.
He sequestered his VP from all interviews, but cried foul if anyone said anything negative about her or actually did some “vetting”.
McCain went months without doing press conferences, but would cry foul if he thought the journalist didn’t get the story straight.
The McCain campaign issued press releases about the Palin family and cried foul when main-stream media outlets actually reorted on her family off those press releases.
The McCain campaign has banned well known reporters from their planes and in some clases stranding them in cities far from home.
The McCain campaign has been combative, rude and obnoxious when it comes to the press. I am impressed with how many continue to give them the time of day.

What you’d expect? When you run a negative campiagn, one must expect negative coverage.

JG, Obama admitted he did drugs so what’s to investigate?
Do you think they should find all the women McCain fooled around with when he was married to his first wife and interview them? There’s no story there just like there’s nothing to be gained from talking to the people Obama smoked pot with 30 years ago.

It is like I am convicted of defrauding millions of people with a fake energy company and I am complaining that the Judge doesn’t get the same negative coverage. Try again with the media argument.

I want the press to focus on who has the better ground game!!!!!

The allegation of anti-Republican bias makes me laugh. That’s easy to say till you look at the content of what’s being reported. The McCain campaign has been a mess. Dirty tricks. Ridiculously unqualified VP pick. Angry, flailing candidate. Not enough money and a weak message. The Obama folks are running a very tight ship. I know. I’ve worked with both as a news reporter. So they’re winning. That always make folks on the sinking ship scream “Bias!”
Now–and this is the most wonderful thing to watch of all–the nasty behavior and finger-pointing have infested the inside of the McCain campaign itself. Gov. Palin has run amok and won’t stay on message yet won’t keep her uninformed mouth shut. She’s said to be a “diva” who won’t take advice from anyone. There’s a less-than reassuring picture of someone who’s going to be a 72-yr-old’s heartbeat away from the presidency.
Shouting “bias” is a lot easier than looking at what’s gone wrong inside a losing campaign and taking responsibility for the fact that a fractured message, shallow coffers, and an unqualified VP candidate have helped pique the interest in the ticket that’s going to prevail. Sounds like sore loser talk to me. From losers who could have had a chance for both media attention and a victory had they done a better job!

they have thrown this candidate into the fire, but he totally kept his cool.
I think they have had him in air conditioning. Tell me some of the negative things that all media has pushed for Obama. I just haven’t seen it. At least not from democratic liberal media.

Note to Democrats. When Democrats are the ones DEFENDING the press as not being Democrats it’s not a convincing argument. So go pretend you are “former Republicans” now.

In the last debate, Sen. Obama clearly lied when he said: “The only involvement I’ve had with ACORN was I represented them alongside the U.S. Justice Department in making Illinois implement a motor voter law that helped people get registered at DMVs.”
I guess since Sen. McCain didn’t jump on that (which still infuriates me that he failed to do so) at the time, that it is okay to just give Sen. Obama a pass on that lie! Sen. Obama trained the personal staff of Madeline Talbott, one of the pioneers of ACORN. Sen. Obama conducted leadership-training seminars for ACORN’s new organizers. Sen. Obama was the executive director of voter registration for the Chicago branch of ACORN. And he has continuously funneled money to ACORN, from various boards, while in the Illinois Senate and even giving $800,000 of his campaign money to Citizen Services, Inc., an offshoot of ACORN.
And then what about Joe the Plumber being investigated for asking a question. (NOTE: It is now being reported that there may have been some illegal use of Ohio state and law-enforcement computer systems in searching for personal information on Joe the Plumber.)
And how much money has either Sen. Obama or Sen. Biden spent on grooming and their clothes?
What about CNN’s ambush of Gov. Palin the other day? A CNN reporter lied about a quote from an article to challenge Gov. Palin. Did CNN ever lie about a quote to ambush Sen. Biden?

Maybe if McCain/Palin would have run a decent campaign and not lied about 3/4 of what came out of their mouths, the press coverage might have been even.
Of course, if you are going to sling mud you had better have your facts straight and obviously they didn’t.

Ikez M.
When you answer a question about Abortion clinic Bombers with Ayers…. IT IS A LITTLE UNCONVINCING.

Jwench.
McCain didn’t make the press vote Democrat 90% of the time the past 40 years.

golfgirl, Michelle doesn’t have a PhD; she has a law degree. And her thesis has been available since January/February. The Obama campaign made it available to Politoco when they requested it. Search their site and you can read the whole boring, outdated thing in its entirety.

Abortion clinic bombers? Huh?
Still waiting on answers about Khalidi, ACORN, CAIR, Rezko, etc.

OMG, A McCain Aide said Sarah Palin was going “Rogue”! Called her a “Diva”. You can’t make this stuff up, the wheels are coming off the straight talk express 2 at a time.

Ikez M.
Press votes???

You don’t think Palin has enough experience or smarts. I think she did better with Big Oil than our Federal Government did.

Clint
Please do not vote Maverick/Rogue They will turn this country into a post apocalyptic scenario… (Joking of course)
Obama/Biden 08,12

This is not the wild wild west. Maverack is just a label. McCain remove the label and Obama put a Bush sticker where it use to be.

OK, wingers! Obama isn’t leading by enough so please throw some more ridicuolous charges at him and maybe he’ll get 400 electoral votes.
Why don’t you get ABC to cover how he wasn’t really born in Hawaii?
Why don’t you get Fox to cover how he really went to Hawaii to get a fake birth certificate?
A couple more stories like that and I won’t even need to canvass or phone bank for him this weekend or next!

I think people are getting use to an Obama presidency but we still have a little more then a week to make it happen.

The McCain campaign has admittedly gone 100% negative. How do you positively spin a 100% negative campaign?
You mean in bringing out Obamas friends Ayers, etc. and asking for Obama to show it is not true. I want someone who is willing to be tough with people in government. You want to call it negative. I just believe it is politics and has been there in every election. It is the democrats who put the spin of negativity to it. Again the liberal networks calling it negative.

Without any new issues and the debates over after hearing the same answers word for word on all three what else is left but talking about the candidates themselves. With all that has been brought up on McCain I would say both are into negativity now.

It will all be over
in a few days time.
Been Fun…………………

Most of the stuff they are throwing out there was hashed out in the primaries. Nobody cares. It went nowhere and it still hasn’t produced a darn thing.
If the Clinton’s and their connections and Karl Rove and his dirtbags can’t find concrete evidence, then there is nothing to be found.

Where was the press when Bush felt the need to attack Iraq? A country with no ties to 9/11. The press didn’t ask any hard questions, they just went along with Bush.. and they did so until 2006.
Where’s Woodward and Bernstein when you really need them?

This article is the obvious,,,the big question for the mainstream liberal media is does it really make any difference? It seems to me they really don’t care. There has been so much biased unfair reporting toward McCain, and especially Sarah Palin in this election process that the trust people once had has been so damaged it could never recover…. and sadder still… as I said it appears they don’t care what mainstream America thinks…..

A Veteran – I followed the primaries so Ayers is old news to me. Go read the transcripts of the robocalls being sent by the McCain campaign (same kind he denounced in 2000) and tell me they are not inflammatory.
In addition, the McCain campaign should be glad the Obama campaign is not going after McCain/Palin’s relationships. Gordon Liddy, John Singlaub, Pastor Muthee, Rev. Kroon, ties to Iran-Contra, AIP, ties to Iran Contra, etc. The list is long and frightening.

And Fox news is not a Republican attack dog? This is the natural reaction when a major news outlet becomes a surrogate for a political party. If Rupert and Roger step down, maybe we can start to trust the press again, and stop having to go to Jon Stewart for our information.

It is time for the McCain campaign to come clean about what role any of its staffers may have had in hyping or pushing the press to hype the charges stemming from Ashley Todd’s vicious and reprehensible hoax.
As Greg Sargent at TPM reported yesterday, McCain Pennsylvania communications director Peter Feldman pushed reporters on a highly incendiary version of Todd’s hoax — providing reporters with quotes from the fictitious attacker and telling them the the “B” scratched on Todd’s face stood for “Barack.” As the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson aptly put it, Feldman’s actions showed “not just a willingness to believe it but an eagerness to incite a … racial backlash against the Obama campaign.”
Initial reporting did not find any direct evidence that the McCain campaign’s national headquarters played a role pushing the story.
However, the national campaign has now come forward and lied about what happened in Pennsylvania. McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers has now told NBC that alleged quotes from the McCain campaign in early reports of the story were actually the product of “sloppy reporting” and that they were actually quotes from the Pittsburgh police.
This is simply not credible.
Initial reports specifically quote the McCain campaign. And at least two sources involved in the contemporaneous reporting have come forward and said on the record that the quotes came directly from the McCain campaign. To believe that two separate local news organizations made the identical mistake with the same quotes and are now both covering it up is simply not credible. But that is what Rogers is now claiming.
The McCain campaign’s after-the-fact lie about its role in this hoax makes it essential that it provide a complete and honest account of both the local and national campaign’s role. As I said above, we did not find direct evidence of the national McCain campaign pushing this story. But Gov. Palin did call Todd after the purported attack, as did Sen. McCain. And news of these calls was provided to the press.
The involvement of the candidates and specifically the release of such information — which was clearly intended to bump up interest in the story — shows some level of involvement by the national campaign.
Perhaps it is simply that the national campaign heard a staffer had been mugged and had the principals call the purported victim. One might further speculate that it was only the Pennsylvania communications director who heard about the calls and took it upon himself to push these out to the media.
Possible, but certainly a generous interpretation. And now that we see the national McCain campaign making false statements about what happened, its credibility on the whole story is simply too damaged to allow such a benefit of the doubt.
Reporters who the McCain camp cannot stonewall need to push for a clear accounting of what happened — starting by coming clean on Feldman’s role. If this were simply some other minor campaign mystery, the sort that is routinely tossed off late in a hard-fought campaign, it might not matter. But the awfulness of what was attempted here makes nothing less than a full accounting necessary.

Could not agree more. It has been a dispeccably one sided coverage by most of the so called “mainstream media” including ABC News. These news organizations and their “anchors” (for ABC news, only exception who tried to sound more objective was perhaps Terry Moran) and “moderators” should be ashamed of their election news coverage.

All the lies that he prints and the lies McCain speaks that he doesn’t cover, all the fawning over Sarah Palin without vetting her, and the complete and total ignorance that Mr. Tapper (Not to mention George S. too) has to maybe not seeing that with everything that IS going on in the republican party, perhaps all that is written and all that is reported is true. If the press had not been so afraid (like you are now Mr. Tapper) 8 years or 4 years ago, and you wrote the truth instead of worrying about being call “liberal”, or “Bias”, Maybe this country would not be in the mess it’s in. You, Mr. Tapper, and your kind stuck your head in the sand while the “Bushies” ran all over the Constitution. So now you want to be some kind of republican hero? I guess we now know who you’ll vote for.

GOLFGIRLUSA
Keep returning here and posting. Brilliant!
As a 25 year Democrat, I was proud to vote for McCain!
Watched Obama play the race card in the primary against Hillary and don’t want to see 4 years of it. Take frozen angry face Michelle and go away Obama.
Vote McCain Clinton Democrats!

I have observed, watched, researched closely both parties primaries and now the presidential campaign.
Tell these Republican complainers saying news “bias” to go home!!! Since they ran dirty, dirty campaign – they deserve to be called on their despicable acts!! Receive negative press!!
Republicans, John McCain, Sarah Palin have run the sleaziest campaign I have seen!! Roboll calls are the worst!! The racial attacks by them are quite high!! Republicans are using same ole’ Rove Playbook methods just like they did in 2000 and 2004. This time we are not falling for these despicable tactics!! All started when Obama took trip overseas. Then John McCain hired the Rove Players from Bush’s 2004 Campaign. Then came the race baiting ads which were directed purposely to certain/specific person of the public. Ads contained certain psychological reference to racial prejudice. Pictures did same. I have taken college psychology courses directing studying these methods. I have taken continuing ed as well. These longstanding instilled cultural become what certain people have come to actually believe is quite culturally correct. Republican beliefs are they can get the votes of these people. This is 2008 and attitudes are/have changed since 2000. We are moving to an age of computer internet savy voters and these tactics are challenged strongly today. Voters can check validity. We challenge there lies. We encourage news media to press. Information is at our disposal. Republicans have been met and challenged by the grassroots efforts of American voters. We say “NO MORE”!
Obama is staying to attacks that are issue related only. Obama had more than his fair share of negative press during the primaries. He never complained. Because of above reason press can not attack as much. They can when he stretches truth, and deserves criticism.
NOTE- NOTE – NEVER HAS OBAMA USED TERRORIST, BABY KILLER, ACCUSE OF SAYING MILITARY COMMITTED WAR CRIMES, IS DANGEROUS, NATIONAL SECURITY IN DANGER IF ELECTED, UNPATRIOTIC, ANTI-AMERICAN IN ROBOCALLS. These above examples are what John McCain has used!! Then John McCain has audacity to stand by them!!! John McCain advisers have audacity to stand by them. John McCain – SARAH PALIN CAMPAIGN ARE TRULY EVIL INDIVIDUALS!
NEWS MEDIA YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!! CERTAIN NEWS MEDIA ARE LEFT OR RIGHT. VOTERS DO LEARN. ABC – CONGRATULATIONS YOU SEEM TO FAlL MORE TO CENTER. THIS IS GREAT TO SEE!
FACTS ARE FACTS! GO HOME JOHN MCCAIN CAMPAIGN!
GO OBAMA!! EVERYONE VOTE!! OBAMA COULD BE ONE OF THE GREATEST PRESIDENTS AMERICA EVER HAD. GET OUT AND VOTE – WE NEED TO ELECT HIM!

Im a Canadian who has been watching this election very closely. I respectfully disagree with the assertion that that the media has been biased. The reason that the McCain/Palin ticket has received negative coverage for the past few weeks is a function of their own doing. They have provided much fodder for negative coverage..for example: Palins blunders,their shopping spree, the horribly negative campaign they are running etc etc. So to turn that into biased reporting, I think is off the mark. I recall not so long ago that th emedia was very tough on Obama.Im sure that in the end,if oen looks back to the beginning it all evens out. Chill out Mr. Malone!!

Sad to say we are just little people to the media, and the government. They need us to get them elected, then we are forgotten until the next one. Older people like me already know that. The young and naive still believe what they are being told. That is why I still believe in character and integrity as a factor in my choice. I haven’t seen enough of either in Obama, but I know the character and integrity that McCain has shown in the past.

So does that mean Arnold can run for President?

The McCain campaign cries foul in hopes of manipulating the press…they ban reporters from their plane & they restrict the press from questioning Palin and yet have the gall to complain about unfair coverage. Have they frightened Mr. Malone too..is that why he is using their talking points about unfair coverage!! I dont think many would agree with you Mr. Malone.

Malone exposes bias in the media, but not what I expect he intended to. ABC News, for example, and not counting the blog portion, hits twice as much on Obama and drugs than it does on Cindy McCain and drugs. Still, he complains that nobody has interviewed any drug dealers in Obama’s old neighborhood!
This was his only example of imbalance and the facts contradict his opinion on the matter.
Malone is much worse on the “war in Lebanon” where he states “one field reporter after another reported the carnage of the Israeli attacks on Beirut, with almost no corresponding coverage of the Hezbollah missiles raining down on northern Israel. ”
As if there is any comparison! Israel rained thousands of tons of munitions, used mines and cluster bombs, and totally destroyed the ability of the population to have a normal living for years to come. To attempt to draw an equivalence to the few rockets that hit Israel is insane!
Maybe ABC news can find someone a little more even minded to talk about bias? I hope so.

The Tainted One has new worries. Obama has lawsuits against him across the nation to avert potential constitutional crisis, possible civil unrest and confidence in elections.
Those lawsuits are being filed in eight (8!) states and are seeking to require Obama to provide certification of birth in the U.S. or be removed as presidential candidate on state ballots.
It seems like us bloggers are not the only ones who have doubts about Obama’s roots. Hawaii, Washington, California, New York, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut do too.
Instead of just presenting his “real” birth certificate, Obama prefers to hire lawyers to fight doing just that. Now why is that? Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to just show the darn thing to the appropriate people and have the lawsuits dismissed?
Hmmmm, The Tainted One has dodged two of those lawsuits already without having to show proof of his supposed U.S. birth.
Hey, Mr. Malone, Jake – here is a story with legs you can investigate and prove that the media (well, at least, you guys) is unbiased. How ’bout it?
PUMA! McCain/Palin 2008 – In lieu of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party which ignores her sex.” – Susan B. Anthony, 1872

Does this Malone guy have a blog? Maybe he should so he could bring out better things to discuss than wardrobes, power outages etc. Maybe McCain should just learn to say “just a joke” each time so it would be ignored more.

Let’s not forget about the conservative talk show hosts over the radio. There is over a 10 to 1 ratio in favor of conservatives. Maybe there is a reason why print coverage favors Obama and talking coverage favors McCain. McCain followers must have a hard time reading.

the problem is mccain and palin have not said anything positive so just reporting on what they say is negative. what has mccain said that is positive? obama is a terrorist or trying to rig the election with accorn or not really an american or a socialist or scary black guy–what has mccain said that is positive? anyone please help. even joe the plumber said obama was scary and he reminded him of sammy davis jr.

MSM is just trying to make up for the fact that they have kissed the Bush administration’s *** for the last 8 years.

This is my second post. But since it is happening now – feel I need to discuss. Republicans are attempting voter suppression all across America.
(1)Bush has now asked Justice Department to investigate Ohio voter registration – wants 200,000 or more registrations pulled so election affected. Anyway to cheat?????
(2)Sheriff attempts to suppress student votes in Ohio -five institutions of higher education, including Wilberforce University, the nation’s oldest private African-American school founded before the Civil War, and 120-year-old Central State University, Ohio’s only historically black public university.
Sheriff Fischer, a Republican, went to the local elections board and asked for all the information on the roughly 300 recently registered voters.
County Prosecutor Stephen Haller represented Fischer in his efforts to obtain the voter information. Haller is a former law partner of Mike DeWine, chairman of Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign in Ohio.
Did Fischer or Haller, when they were preparing to make an unlawful request of public records based on phone calls and whispers, consider that their motives might be questioned? Redfern also pointed out that Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine, a distant cousin of Mike DeWine, just happens to be from Greene County, too.
Kevin DeWine responded to Redfern and Coleman’s charges Friday by pointing a finger to voter suppression efforts by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner instead of denying or refuting claims that Fischer was engaged in racism, intimidation or voter suppression.
By Friday afternoon, Fischer and Haller decided to just pull their public records request and bring a quick end to a short, but shameful moment in Ohio election history.
(3)Virginia Republicans threat and scare Virginia college voters. Claimthey can’t vote. Even though Supreme Court has declared every college student can vote where they are going to college!! Republicans once again!!
(4)California – Republican hired group head attested for possible voter fraud
and changing people’s party affiliation.
Everyone – please wake up and learn!! Republicans are attempting to take away voting rights!! Please, please research!! It is happening all over the country!!

Palin fans will no doubt accuse CNN of bias for quoting a source from the McCain campaign today…
“A second McCain source tells CNN she appears to now be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.
“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” said this McCain adviser, “she does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: divas trust only unto themselves as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.””
Miss Joe Six Pack, a DIVA! According to a McCain source, I add. So, biased, I presume.
Now let me repeat this: “she does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.”
Well!… if McCain doesn’t trust her, why should anyone else?

No one wins! This has been done to Democrats before. Carter was maligned during the 1980 campaign. The media failed to place the economy in perspective; the oil price shocks were to blame for most of the peril (not Carter). Gore was parodied, but the media did nothing to uncover the truth about his so-called gaffes. Bush ran as a compassionte conservative, when nothing in his Texas background suggested he was. What is a compassionate conservative anyway??? And who can forget how the media climbed in the tank — literally — with Bush during the war. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves. The media should help us make informed decisions. This is not an informed choice. It is a childish breach of media ethics. No one gains.
PS: Why is this story coming out two weeks before the election? Shame on you! Too late to get on the moralistic bandwagon.

The bias is indeed appalling. Dems say that Repubs bring it on themselves. That is how appalling it is, because the media has them believing even this. There are actually posts here wondering how Obama has gotten a free pass. I find that incredible, as it is so obvious and apparent. I guess it’s only apparent when it’s not against ‘your guy’ though. The littlest snippet seems to be seen as ‘equal’ coverage.
I can think of one case off the top of my head. And that is the ACORN deal. If McCain had given 832k to ACORN and it was an organization that favored and endorsed him, and had been accused of fraud, I think we would have heard about it every day for days on end. Obama just ignores that little fact about the 832k and the news barely mentions it, so it just kind of ‘goes away’ for him. That is one of MANY examples. They have been ruthless with Sarah Palin – and no one – no matter who they are, deserves to be crucified in the way that she has by the media. The media comments constantly how negative McCain is to the point that people believe that this must be ‘so’. Little to nothing about Obama attacking McCain even though he has accused him of not knowing how to use a computer, which was a very condescending remark. With Ayers… it’s brought up once, Obama and his campaign folks deny the relationship and bring up the “Obama was 8 yrs old” story over and over again… and when McCain continues to question it, they say, “that story has been debunked.” What? By whom, besides the man accused of the relationship? How is that?? Okay, so there are a few more examples. It seems that Obama’s followers either have blinders on or just can’t admit the truth to themselves. Or both. Not sure.

Voter fraud, liberal media in the tank, $700,000,000 of many illegial anonymous contributions, unsavory associates, the list never stops, but some people think that he is exactly what they want in office. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.

I do know one thing. If Obama wins the election, the Dems are going to plenty ticked off when they figured out the guy isn’t all the media cracked him up to be. He has NO experience, he’s arrogant, egotistical, all about ‘catch phrases’ like “the righteous winds at our backs”… omg that one cracked me up! What a joke he is. He doesn’t even believe in charity. Look at his tax returns! LOL LOL Our poor country will be so screwed!

How short are memories are! The free pass for Obama started before the primaries even began. The media never vetted Obama and all Hillary coverage was negative. For what ever reason the media has overlooked every negative detail in Obama’s background. Ayers, Rezko, Alliosn Davis and his sons, his lies about his associations, his drug use, defending the slumlords, his connection to the healthcare clinics while in the state senate, his attachment to a campaign worked who was sent out of the country, Rev Wright and on and on and on. It all goes to character and no one has been allowed to question his character at all and we may well be very sorry.

I don’t know that it really matters who gets elected… the “powers that be” are the ones responsible for the economic mess… and Dems/Repubs/Federal Reserve/central banks… a combination of all of the above. Or maybe Dems and Repubs are the window dressing to cover the Fed’s/banks moves. It seems that way. Who knows. Might get a pro lifer or pro choicer as a supreme court justice… other than that… the same old cycles will repeat… we work hard, pay more taxes, and end up screwed in the end and pray for a new president that will save us. LOL

Anyone with half a brain can see what happened with the economic mess. In 2005, Repubs brought legislation forward for some regulation… about 26 of them were “persuaded” by some Fannie Mae paid people to oppose the legislation and the DEMS all opposed it. I swear our govt is just there to make us think that someone is out to help us out, to make us feel we have a voice. Where was our voice when all of this was going on… along with when the ‘urgent bailout’ plan was approved and the CEOs of the failed institutions walked away with millions?

I am sick and tired of hearing Republicans whining about the “liberal media”. Anybody watched Fox News (an oxymoron if there ever was one), or listened to Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram, or much of the hate-mongers on AM radio lately? Grow up and shoulder the mess your president, George W. and his henchmen have done – or shut up, get out of the way, and let us fix it!

This article is useless. Eight months ago-maybe. Why are you even printing it? How could a bunch of smart people be duped into not getting the story? The MSM only puts out what Obama gives them. Now one week before the election after 30% of the people have voted, the true stories are starting to come out?
Amount of Money spent for half of Obama’s campaign ads=record setting millions.
Free in-the-tank coverage day after day all this year by the media=priceless.

LOL Look at the whining and crying going on by Dems, just by a little article questioning media bias!! LOL LOL Hilarious! LOL

It’s all about actions… not just ‘words’… Obama… the master of the word game…

I agree with msa123 its more about actions than words….and so I pose a question to the Obama supporters…what did he do to benefit or help Illinois as a state senator? And what has he done to benefit or help Illinois as a US Senator?

If the media isn’t biased in general how come none of the many others running for president get any coverage whatsoever. Why are they not invited to media run debates. Why don’t we as the public know more about them running in the first place. There are actually quite a few others in the race. The media decides they aren’t worthy first???

I am a life-long voting democrate and I too am shocked and dismayed at the obvious bias of the news media whether it be in newspapers or cable TV. I had always heard of the great influence that news media had, but until this election, I did not really believe it. Aside from Tim Russert bless him and Tom Brokow, the rest are a bunch of biased, bigoted individuals who have lost their integrity and will do anything to cause a sensation and t herefore they think increase their audience. I’ve lost a tremendous amount of respect for most of them.

You are so right, S Adams. I had a response not long ago that said if they didn’t hear it on CNN then it didn’t happen! LOL All it takes is a little research and an open mind… and I mean looking at all news, yes even Fox and even CNN and besides the mass media, dig and dig using wikipedia and historical news articles, etc. to find out if what you’re being told is the truth. I think it is a disgrace to promote someone of their choice in the media and not give both sides a fair shake. They are doing a real disservice to those who think they are hearing the real story.

“This after pounding Obama into the ground about Wright.”
Obama should have been pounded into the ground about Wright. He attended this man’s church for 20 some odd years and obviously subscribed to his beliefs. Why else would he sit there?
The hypocrisy of the MSM and the hypocrisy of Obama supporters is breathtaking regarding this whole Rev. Wright issue. Nobody, but NOBODY, would get away with this except if you are a candidate named Obama.

msa123, I know what you mean, I can’t make my remote go to msNBC, CNN or the staples, ABC(All Barack Channel), NBC(National Barack Channel) or CBS(Communist Barack Station).
Obviously, the media thinks we are all falling for their biased rhetoric. Makes me wonder though, why they haven’t caught on that msNBC and NBC has the least viewers this election season and has reported record losses in their history and all the liberal leaning newspapers are laying off their employees. Even the left wing radio stations, like Air America have the lowest number of listeners.

Just read Mike Malone’s article . ..
Give me a break Mike, it was John McCain who directed the intense light of the media onto Joe the Plumber when he highlighted Joe something like 11 times during the final presidential debate. McCain threw Joe into the intense scrutiny of the media – threw him under the wheels of the media. Of course the media is going to find out everything they can about this guy – McCain mentioned him over and over and over again in a nationally televised presidential debate!
And the McCain has the gall to blame the media and the Democrats for poor Joe receiving all this attention and scrutiny of just who he really is. Get real . .. . what a load of bollocks.

I agree there is corruption with regard to all defense contractors. The democrats have had control of congress for the last two years but did not themselves try to stop it or investigate it. Is this again going to be blamed on republicans. Defense contractors have been around forever, with all presidents both democrats and republicans.

>>A VP who wasn’t known nationally & doesn’t appear to have been well-vetted has caused a storm.
She’s the only unknown quantity and has pretty much driven reporting on his campaign. If she’d been a national figure for two years already this probably would’ve died out by now.>>
Unknown quantity??? During the primaries before the lack of media coverage killed Duncan Hunter’s Presidential run, many of us on the Hunter for President lists were hoping for a Hunter/Palin ticket – well we got half of our wish.

Not at all true msa. Obama simply answered a question from a citizen. It was McCain chose to jump all over it and mention Joe the Plumber something like 11 times in the debat. McCain turned him into a product and fed him to the media.
And McCain knew full well mentioning the man 11 time is a Presidential debate would bring intense media scrutiny down on this guy – he even attempted a weak apology on Letterman following his abuse of the guy.
The worst part is McCain having the gall to blame the scrutiny of Joe on others. McCain knew full well what would happen.

msa you’re in denial. McCain turned Joe into a product and mentioned him over and over again in a presidential debate. He USED the guy – he knew full well the guy would be checked after that kind of prominence in a presidential debate.
But McCain didn’t care cause it worked for him. And then he started whining when the media turned up a bunch of stuff that wasn’t that flattdering on Joe.
McCain is just not believable.

pefros: Dont mean to run this into the ground but what was it about the fact that I stated that you don’t hear? IT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS BEFORE THE DEBATE. EVERYONE ALREADY KNEW WHO ‘JOE THE PLUMBER’ WAS. That was the media’s doing. And after McCain mentioned him, the media went after the plumber. Again. Did McCain know that would happen? Probably. But it wouldn’t have even come up, if Obama hadn’t given such a stupid answer.

Judging by this long-winded, fact-free rant, Malone probably needs a vacation.

I would not be so quick to fully blame the media. If you want to see biased coverage, just spend a few minutes at Fox News.
Let’s not blame Obama for all the bias – he has magnificiently managed the media – while McCain has stumbled again and again. McCain wanted to pretend to be someone who he really isn’t.
I think what happened this year is that the media called the Republicans’ bluff. Over the years, republicans have been screaming about “liberal bias” – calling even the most unbiased and respectable anchors as biased. As a result, when McCain, who have for years been the darling of the media – started screaming bias, the media just did not care. The republicans have screamed “wolf” one too many times.

It was John McCain who intensified the intense light of the media onto Joe the Plumber when he highlighted Joe something like 11 times during the final presidential debate.
During the debate, McCain basically turned Joe into a campaign prop by mentioning him 11 times.
McCain threw Joe directly into the wheelhouse of the media for his own ends. Of course the media was going to find out everything they can about this guy – McCain mentioned him over and over and over again in a nationally televised presidential debate!
And the McCain has the gall to blame the media and the Democrats for poor Joe receiving scrutiny of just who he really is. .. . what a load of bollocks. Get real, if you turn a guy into a product for your campaign expect the media scrutiny to intensify.

According to today’s CNN Political Ticker, a McCain adviser says that NO ONE trusts Palin, not McCain, not his staff, and not even her own family.
I certainly hope there are some journalists looking into this further.

Why doesn’t ABC put this article on the front of the website and give it more coverage or is it more important to talk about Palin’s wardrobe, hair, and makeup?

If McCain had run a positive campaign, his coverage would be more positive. But when your entire campaign is negative and not on issues, how is coverage supposed to be positive? When you foment hate and have supporters yelling out “kill him” and “off with his head” and “terrorist” how is that supposed to be covered as positive?
McCain has the coverage he deserves.

Joe the plumber had received a little bit of coverage on the discussion with Obama on taxes.
Then it was John McCain who pulled Joe out of the bag and used him as a prop during the last presidential debate highlighting Joe something like 11 times during the final presidential debate.
McCain threw Joe directly into the wheelhouse of the media for his own ends. And suddenly EVERYBODY was talking about Joe the plumber.
Of course the media was going to find out everything they can about this guy – McCain mentioned him over and over and over again in a nationally televised presidential debate!
And the McCain has the gall to blame the media and the Democrats for poor Joe receiving scrutiny of just who he really is. .. . what a load of bollocks. Get real, if you turn a guy into a product for your campaign expect the media scrutiny to intensify – and expect the guy to come under very close examination.
McCain knew this – he just didn’t care. He needed to try to win . .. so what’s right or wrong was irrelevant to him.

Oops…sorry Thinking. I reread your post and realize we share the same penchant for sarcasm. My apologies. :)

Another thing, what a coward McCain is. Calling out all this stuff about Ayers behind Obama’s back. So Obama calls him out in the last debate, explains William Ayers and says basically to McCain ‘bring it on’ . .. . and what has McCain got? Nothing.
McCain (after Obama’s detailing the ‘relationship’) mumbles into his chest – no damning evidence, not condemnation, no accusations … just some mumbling into his chest about who he had just wanted Obama to explain.
That was pathetic. He had nothing on Obama. Nothing.

Then the next day, when he doesn’t have to face Obama in person . .. he and Palin are back badmouthing him for Ayers . .. what a cowardly way to behave.

Shame. You’ve got it wrong. Obama has answered every charge from Wright to Ayers – he even confronted McCain about Ayers in the last presidential debate. And McCain had nothing!! Seriously, after Obama explained his position, all McCain could do was mumble into his shirt about how he had wanted Obama to explain that’s all.
The media has covered both those stories and ACORN. The problem is there is nothing there. ACORN is a complete red herring thrown out to try to taint a very successful campaign.
8 years of Republicans in the White House was enough. The electorate is about to give them the boot.
It’s as plain as the twitching of John McCain’s eyes.

I am from Singapore.
Coming from a country far distanced from US politics, it is very obvious that the press is extremely biased against the McCain/Palin ticket.
Over here, we read US news articles of the failures and defects of the GOP side but hardly any word of the Obama defects. Are they really angels?

America knows more about Joe the plumber from Ohio, his background, how much taxes he owes, how much childcare support he owes, what he earns and his family background than Obama who wants to be President.
This sums up the media coverage (ABC, NBC, CBS) coverage of the campaign. Pravda press is more objective that the american media.
Will the last honest reporters turn the lights off.

It would be nice if Michael Malone actually gave us some specific points of bias other than the raving malarkey in that op-ed piece. Every point he makes is trivial – whining about Joe the Plumber? Please. It’s fairly clear Malone did not pay any attention to any of the detailed reporting from the primaries on both candidates.
So, I’m not going to get worked up about the views of an obvious McCain supporter who is in the habit of yelling at the TV, like Michael Malone.
He is talking about the same media that was all rah-rah in the lead up to the war and painted anyone who questioned Bush’s tactics on the war on terror and war on Iraq as anti-American.
If there is any criticism of the media in this election it is that there is more focus on the horse race, rather than on actual intelligent exploration of issues. It is the dumbing down of the media (and Americans in general), not bias, that is the problem.
If there was exploration of policies, it would be easily shown, for example, how disasterous John McCain’s health care plan would be for businesses and their employees.
And, I would expect any reasonable person (even the most unbiased reporter) would view it negatively if:
-on the day the financial industry went over the cliff , you said the economy was “fundamentally sound”;
-you chose such a historically unqualified and uninformed person for the second most important position in our government, such that even respected members of your own party were dumfounded and appalled (and said so anonymously and for attribution to the press);
-your VP nominee went weeks without answering questions from voters or the media;
-you attacked the media for simply asking questions (and wanting to ask questions) of your unquestionably unqualified vice-presidential nominee;
-you switched your economic messages multiple times within a few weeks while the economy tanked;
-you flipped back and forth about what companies to rescue and not rescue and whether you were for or against a rescue package;
-you came across as angry, erratic, and sometimes even unprepared in the most important and highly watched forum of the campaign (debates);
-you ran commercials on completely irrelevant topics, ignoring the major issues and difficulties that the country faces;
-while you already had a well-earned reputation for questionable negative attacks, you doubled-down and made even more negative attacks;
-your campaign has been so erratic and poorly managed (as illustrated above) that prominent conservative columnists and party members criticized your actions and message repeatedly;
-people’s dissatisfaction with your message and erratic candidacy was easily revealed in declining polling numbers and favorability ratings;
-it increasingly became clear to both your opponents, friends, and colleagues that you neither had the ideas, temperament, nor judgment for the job of president of the United States.
I WAS a former McCain donor and supporter and was completely agnostic about the whole Democratic primary, but based on the first few weeks of the general election campaign it was fairly clear to me who was the better prepared candidate to be president of the united states.

And Jake Tapper is in the tank for Obama.

I am disappointed that my comments posted yesterday evening have been deleted. It proves that the american people are not encouraged to investigate on their own about Obama but just to believe what they are spoonfed by the media. I encourage everyone to research on their own-don’t take anyones word at face value-not cnn,abc, fox or anyone. you may be surprised what the real Obama stands for, and why he will not elaborate or many subjects.

Someone has actually edited a post of mine now. Not because of profanity or anything either.

Hey, jrock5, I bet my list of things the media hasn’t explored about Mr. “the-media-is-my-base” McCain and his media-darling running mate is three times as long.