|
THE POLITICS OF BLACKNESS: Bias at its best |
|
|
|
|
Written by BARBARA HOWARD
|
 How many times have we heard, “It’s the media’s fault?”
Well, during this presidential campaign, it seems that the mainstream media can hardly contain their biased reporting.
For example, CNN ran special reports on the candidates: “McCain Revealed” and “Obama Revealed.”
While Barack and Michelle Obama were portrayed as saints, John and Cindy McCain were portrayed as sinners.
Obama’s bio was almost a regurgitation from his book, and the testimonies from colleagues were glowing. He had done no wrong. Even his professed drug use was a non-issue.
But McCain’s bio was about his partying, crashing planes, cheating on his first wife, and sullying his military family’s name. Testimonies from his colleagues came primarily from Democrats discussing his wrath.
Isn’t it strange that they reported that McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, but there was no mention of Obama’s standing at Harvard, or the fact that after winning the election as president of the Harvard Law Review, he published not one paper?
CNN barely mentioned that Obama’s first run for the Illinois state legislature resulted in a phenomenon not often seen, particularly for a neophyte to politics. Each of his challengers dropped out (more like forced out) amidst threats of personal destruction of their reputations.
What was clearly the use of intimidation (like in this race) was reported as a strong characteristic.
One blogger wrote, “The (CNN) reports even mentioned the USS Forrestal disaster and the fact that McCain did indeed write and tape anti-war, anti-American statements for his North Vietnamese captors…they put a slight crack in the mythology of the competent and heroic Naval officer.
Obama's bio, on the other hand, made him look a lot tougher and more of a leader than anything else I've seen in the media. His grassroots work in Chicago, his tough, pragmatic political style and his healthy family life made him seem more substantial... Side by side, without prejudice, it is clear that Obama is a better candidate.”
Without prejudice? Are you serious?
CNN made no mention about Obama’s use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol in high school and college yet discussed at length Cindy McCain’s addiction and theft of prescription drugs.
They focused only on McCain’s shortcomings and Obama’s strengths.
There was no mention that Obama steered millions of dollars to Chicago’s low-income housing developers, who left slums, or that he authored only three bills that survived in the Illinois legislature, two of which had to be totally rewritten. Yet CNN reported that he was instrumental in hundreds of pieces of legislation (only because he added his name to them).
All the mainstream media have followed the same biased reporting on McCain and Obama as CNN. For example, Vanity Fair made a big deal about one of Cindy McCain’s outfits during the Republican National Convention costing $300,000. Yet, a jeweler said her three-carat diamond earrings cost more like $60,000 instead of the $280,000 estimate.
So what? Who cares? She’s rich and it’s her money. Yet there has been no mention of the hundreds of thousands of dollars she and McCain have donated to charities, including the $25,000 they just gave to the Hurricane Gustav relief effort as they raised millions at the Republican convention.
The mainstream media have become the Fourth Estate in Obama’s campaign, even going after McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Isn’t it strange that the media praised Michelle Obama on her appearance at the Democratic Convention, swooning over their two lovely daughters standing on stage; yet demeaned Sarah Palin for “parading” her family out on stage at the Republican convention?
The bias is blatant. The only news organization giving positive news about McCain and Palin is FOX News, and the liberal left wants to shut them down.
Are we still in the land of free speech and fair and unbiased reporting, or have we moved to a socialist state in which the media chooses our commander-in-chief?
Hopefully the shake-up at MSNBC, taking Keith Olbermann and Chris (Obama sends chills up my leg) Matthews off as political anchors for their blatant bias, is an omen of things to come for all the networks.
The country deserves better.
Barbara Howard is president of Barbara Howard & Associates and the Florida state chair for C.O.R.E. (the Congress of Racial Equality).
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
