Saturday, March 20, 2010

More on the Media's Double Standard and Ideological Bias

Neil Braithwaite, writing on the American Thinker blog makes a sensible point that any reasonable observer of liberal media bias would have to concede in this post entitled: "Media ignoring Obama 'gotchya moment' from Fox News interview."
"When Charlie Gibson interviewed then Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and asked her about the "Bush Doctrine," it was apparent that she had been stumped by the question. The newbie "national" politician's answer revealed a weakness in her understanding of President Bush's national security policy.

Palin's response of, "In what respect?" was blood in the water for Gibson. Intent on pursuing Palin's weakness on the subject, Gibson immediately asked, "Well, what do you interpret it to be?" Palin went on to beat around the bush (pun intended) and never answered Gibson's question. Charlie Gibson got exactly what he had hoped for from the Palin interview and delivered a potent "gotcha" moment for the liberal media to highlight at every chance they could get - which turned out to be every time they opened their mouths until election day.

Bret Baier of Fox News delivered a similar "gotcha" moment in his interview with President Obama earlier this week. In a line of questions about "special deals" in the health care bill, President Obama answered that he knew, "...what was in and what was not in" the health care bill. Baier immediately asked the President, "Is Connecticut in?" President Obama's answer of, "Connecticut, what are you specifically referring to?" should be a stark reminder to everyone - especially the media - that President Obama isn't always the smartest person in the room. Taking a page from the Gibson book on interviewing, Baird's immediate follow-up question to the president was, "The $100 million for the hospital?"

Inheriting Sarah Palin's strategy on answering questions you don't know the answer to, President Obama proceeded to beat around the bush (pun intended again), proving beyond a doubt, that he doesn't really know what's in the health care bill.

So where is all the mainstream media coverage of that "gotcha" moment with the smartest person ever elected President of the United States of America?"
Well, the answer is, of course, that there is one standard for those who are perceived as advancing the interests and worldview of the liberals who dominate the mainstream media in the US and another standard for those who are perceived as threats to those interests and the worldview of the left. And Sarah Palin was (and still is) a threat.

2 comments:

Peter W. Dunn said...

Krauthammer lambasted Gibson on the question, since there is no one answer to the question, "What is the Bush Doctrine". But unlike Obama, once Gibson explained what he thought he meant by the Bush Doctrine, Palin actually gave a pretty direct response: "Charlie, if there is legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country." Whether you agree or disagree, at least you knew where Palin stood.

Craig Carter said...

Peter,
You are correct and Palin's position here has never been renounced by the Obama administration and the liberals have gone quiet about it now that the Republicans are no longer in power.