PrintJuly 20, 2008
Media Messing Itself in Describing Obama's Trip
I have been following politics for my entire adult life and before - more than 40 years - and I thought I had seen it all.
I've seen triumph and tragedy. Low comedy and high drama. The lowest skunks and the highest examples of selflessness and political courage.
But I have never seen anything like the way the media is slavering over Barack Obama's overseas trip.
This from Newsbusters is nauseating:
I've seen triumph and tragedy. Low comedy and high drama. The lowest skunks and the highest examples of selflessness and political courage.
But I have never seen anything like the way the media is slavering over Barack Obama's overseas trip.
This from Newsbusters is nauseating:
ABC, CBS and CNN showcased video of Obama making a basketball shot at a gym with troops in Kuwait. Over video troops cheering Obama as he walked into the gym, on ABC's World News Jim Sciutto touted: "Though the destinations were new, the greeting was familiar. Senator Barack Obama signing autographs with soldiers on his first stop in Kuwait, even taking time to play some basketball..." Forrest Sawyer, anchoring the CBS Evening News on Saturday night, apparently with a new job after many years with ABC and MSNBC, highlighted how Obama "sank a shot from way outside the paint." Sawyer announced over matching video:Now, before Afghanistan Senator Obama stopped off in Kuwait to talk to the troops there. You remember all that grief Obama got for being a terrible bowler? Well, at a local gym someone handed him a basketball and he promptly sank a shot from way outside the paint. He made it look easy. You just have to pick the game.At the start of a special half-hour CNN Newsroom at 11:30 PM EDT Saturday night, July 19, Rick Sanchez trumpeted:Tonight you're going to be seeing the very first pictures of presidential candidate Barack Obama overseas with U.S. troops. Those are stills that you're looking at behind me that we've beeen getting from this trip by this junior U.S. Senator, a trip that seems to be captivating the rest of the world as much, if not more so, than many in the United States...Let me give you a quick set up on this next piece of video. Senator Obama goes into the gym afterward and shoots a free-throw. Then he mingles with some of the soldiers. One female soldier, in particular, challenges him to try and do it again. Now, watch this as it plays out.
The Third Reich didn't have such willing syncophants. They are trying to outdo each other in glowing coverage. It's almost as if the guy is a god, so reverently they are describing his every move.
I have been wracking my brains trying to come up with an analogy between the way the media is covering Obama on this trip and the way they may have covered another politician. So far, I have been unsuccessful.
I was a little young for JFK's campaign but reading contemporary coverage of him later, you would be struck by how harshly some reporters treated him. It wasn't until after he was in the White House that the press went in the tank for him. Even then, there were many important voices in the media who went against the grain and criticized him.
But this over the top, shameless hustling for Obama by major media is jaw dropping. I guess we better get used to it because if they have their way, Obama will return a conquering hero from this trip and never look back until he's safely in the White House.
