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Working the Refs
I know the press is generally perceived as having a liberal bias but I must admit I was still surprised at this polling from Rasmussen. 49% of voters believe that reporters are actively trying to help Obama win, while only 14% believe the same about McCain.
Now, even if there was bias for Obama and against Hillary in the primary, I think it's a lot harder to make a case that the coverage has been biased since June. To me, this polling represents the huge discrepancy between the campaigns in their ability to "work the refs," which has become the preferred euphemism for campaigns bitching and moaning to reporters about negative coverage. As much as I hate to say this, the Obama campaign clearly needs to do more bitching and moaning.
Example - the Today Show. I'm guessing that's the most watched morning news show in America, yeah? They've had two shows on since Obama left for his foreign tour, last Friday and this morning. On both days, the tour was the first story reported (evidence of bias towards Obama? shush, keep reading).
So which guests did they have on to discuss the purpose and ramifications of this historic trip? Susan Rice? Joe Biden? No, on Friday, they had Mitt Romney, and this morning it was John McCain. Because surely no one has more insights on Obama's trip than those who are trying to turn this blatantly positive trip into a negative story.
I have little doubt that the Obama campaign didn't complain to the Today Show, and normally I would hope that they didn't. It's petty and classless. But how many times have we heard the McCain campaign, including the candidate himself, kvetching about how the network anchors are following Obama on his (clearly historic) trip overseas? They know it's newsworthy and the anchors are justified. But they also know what they're doing: feeding the perception that Obama is getting unfair preferential treatment from the press.
When 49% of the country believes that reporters are trying to help Obama win, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, the Obama campaign needs to take action. More whining, please!
Comments (2)
I have a better idea. Instead of the Obama camp whining about the coverage that their getting, these media outlets need to hear from US, their consumers. They need to hear about what we want to hear covered and how we think this issues ought to be covered. Call and/or email the network and call them what you think about how they are covering Obama's trip. Be polite, be succint, be specific (include the date and time of the show and the segment to which you're referring), be clear. Here is the email that they give for the producers, anchors and correspondents: Today@NBCUNI.com . The Today Show's website identifies Noah Oppenheim as the Supervising Producer with the following address if you want to write a formal letter: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Rm. 374E, New York, NY 10112. Or you can call at (212) 664-4249. Don't just get mad, get heard.
July 21, 2008 12:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Carol,
Noah Oppenheim is no longer with the Today show. Also, the phone number gives no option for leaving a comment or speaking to a live person. 212-664-4602 is the only line I know of to leave a comment with NBC.
We have to get more people involved with SCAAMD to counter this crap. If you want to join SCAAMD, email eddiestinkypants@att.net.
July 21, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
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