The Real Pig

Since the Republican National Convention, when John McCain did an about-face to become an agent of change, the media's election coverage has been a disgrace. It is the headlines that are the lipstick on the pig. After 8 years, you’d think the paper would learn to see through Rove/Schmidt tactics of distraction. They did the same thing during the Bush/Gore election of 2000, during the buildup of the Iraq War, and during the Bush/Kerry election. One week it’s the Palin daughter. Then sexism. The next it’s lipstick. I wonder how much you trying to compete with People Magazine?

I know, I know, I know. The media is just a cog in machine and a slave to eyeballs. But while you were devoting precious inches of real estate to lipstick, you robbed your readers of coverage on Barack Obama’s energy and education plans. On 9/11, there was a very informative forum with both of the lead candidates, where they each went into some detail on national service. For months and months, people have been asking Obama “What does `change’ specifically mean?” Obama answers it in Virginia, a local state, and it goes by you all like a fastball. I know...it wasn’t a plan split up into sound bites and 10-word quotes, so it will get buried on back page, below the fold.

The free press (which is an oxymoron these days) not only has an obligation to stay neutral, it has an obligation to seek the truth and to inform the people. Instead, the Post and much of the other mainstream media has been guilty of allowing themselves to be used as pawns in the most corrupt and divisive power plays in our country’s history. It’s only been in the last few days that the media has finally risen off of their tails to check independent sources and actually report findings, and I think it's only because Sarah Palin ticked you guys off by not granting interviews.

Kudos to Charlie Gibson for sidestepping talking points that a freshman college student could regurgitate!
The women of The View have lead the charge in questioning a candidate about obvious lies!
And God Bless Keith Olbermann for his stirring admonishment of the exploitation of 9/11.

And it only took 8 years to get to actually get back to the point where the press verifies whether what a politician says is true.