Several members of the media were seen cheering and clapping for Barack Obama as the Illinois senator accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday.
Standing on the periphery of the football field serving as the Democratic convention floor, dozens of men and women wearing green media floor passes chanted along with the crowd.
Is it possible that some members of the media behaved unprofessionally? Of course. But there were 15,000 people in Denver with media credentials, and to tar “the media” with an item like this is ridiculous.
Having covered four national conventions, I can tell you that there are plenty of folks at these things from one- or two-person newsletters for farmers, accountants and the like, blatantly partisan outlets and — in some cases — organizations with no obvious tie to journalism at all. A friend of a friend comes up with a media credential, and there you go.
If you want to make the case that the mainstream media are in the tank for Obama, be my guest. But this non-item proves nothing. (Via InstaPundit.)
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Steve
You certainly know more about media ethics than I do. But I was at a Charlie Pierce talk a little while ago, and he discussed the media’s “performance” at a Gore-Bradley debate in NH, where the media was booing Gore.Pierce, primarily a sports writer, observed that if a member of the press behaved like that in the press box of a baseball game, they’d be tossed out.The convention setting, unlike a sporting event or a debate, wasn’t an adversarial proceeding, so maybe the same standards don’t apply. But still, I think it can’t be considered good journalistic behavior, can it?
Peter Porcupine
DK – I’ll give you five dollars for every allegedly ‘accidental’ person with media credentials, or real media people, who cheer and clap for McCain. You give ME five dollars for every one that boos him.Bet?
mike_b1
Steve’s right. They’re supposed to save their booing for their columns.I’ll leave it to others to explain to me the difference. 🙂
mike_b1
Well, peter, given Hume, Hannity, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Will, Buchanan, Savage, Novak, etc. are all on the GOP payroll, you are starting in a pretty big hole.
Steve
Mike – if you can arrange it, find Pierce and have him explain it to you. I don’t know exactly what he might say, but I guarantee it’ll be a good time. He’s hilarious!
mike_b1
Yes he is. As good as Boston has.
Dan Kennedy
Steve: The media’s behavior with regard to Gore’s 2000 campaign was one of the great scandals in journalism history.
Peter Porcupine
Well, peter, given Hume, Hannity, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Will, Buchanan, Savage, Novak, etc. are all on the GOP payroll, you are starting in a pretty big hole.Mike – any proof? In fact, any backup AT ALL? Or just more flaming on your part?And there’s another big difference – unlike the Liberal Gong Show at MSNBC, the names mentioned have a clue how professional journalists behave, and would be able to control the tingling in their legs before it gets to what passes for their brains. Well…I might have to spot DK a fiver for Savage…
Dot Lane
“the names mentioned have a clue how professional journalists behave, and would be able to control the tingling in their legs before it gets to what passes for their brains.”Well duh. We *know* Rush needs Viagra to get that tingling feeling. You’re stretching the truth to call that crew journalists. They’re commentators, pundits, bloviators, but certainly not journalists. Besides, they do their GOP cheerleading every day, so why bother to clap? Their hands are already busy doing other things.A few people with media credentials clapping in Denver means the MSM is overwhelmingly liberal and in love with Obama? I have some authentic Grecian temple columns I’d love to sell you…..
Rick
“A few people with media credentials clapping in Denver means the MSM is overwhelmingly liberal and in love with Obama?” No…. the MSM is overwhelmingly liberal because the MSM is overwhelmingly liberal. Every survey and study and poll in the past 10 years prove it.
Dot Lane
Congratulations Rick, you’ve managed to combine a tautology and a blanket assertion in a single response. I don’t see you offering evidence and until you can give me citations of every survey, study, and poll from the last ten years to prove your point, I’m not particularly interested. The problem of course, is that you seem to be relying on surveys about the political self-identifications of professionals working in the MSM, not the actual content of the news. If you want to judge the *amount* of content and its *reach*, it seems pretty clear to me that conservative messages far outweigh liberal ones, given the popularity of Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio in general, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the desire of other media outlets to try to provide a modicum of balance so conservative voices are heard with regularity in places like the New York Times and CNN. So don’t try to tell me the MSM is liberal. Its personnel might be, but the prevailing message is clearly center-right.
mike_b1
peter, since when did proof become a GOP standard? Just saying…
Gerard
“I don’t see you offering evidence and until you can give me citations of every survey, study, and poll from the last ten years to prove your point, I’m not particularly interested. “Cher Dot,We’re not interested in your interest. Do you own research. It is neither a tautology or a blanket assertion, but a simple fact. One that you actually know only too well.
Dot Lane
A simple fact, from a simple mind. You don’t understand how a tautology and a blanket assertion do not a valid argument make? That’s fine, but you don’t address the issue: a center/right message is heard by more people who utilize the msm than any other message. If this is the case, how can the MSM be overwhelmingly liberal? If you wish to cite the political self-identification studies of reporters, that’s fine, but then you’re also saying that it is impossible for a writer to achieve anything close to objectivity. In other words, it’s the message, not the messenger. But hey, continue shooting messengers if it makes you feel better. It doesn’t change the fact that corporate media in this country has a center/right bias.You may also wish to look up the definition of “tautology”.