Halperin: Media Bias This Campaign Doing Democracy a Disservice

Photo of Noel Sheppard.

Time magazine's Mark Halperin on Sunday made one of the strongest insider indictments to date about how the Obama-loving media have behaved during this presidential campaign.

Talking with CNN/Washington Post media analyst Howard Kurtz about the "clear, unambiguous double standard" concerning how differently Barack Obama's fundraising and flipflop over taking public campaign funds would be covered by the press if he was a Republican, Halperin boldly stated that any reporter who doesn't ask why that is "is doing themselves and our profession and our democracy a disservice." 

Frankly, no greater truth has been spoken about the media's deplorable election coverage the past eighteen months (file photo): 

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: Mark Halperin, we learned this morning that Barack Obama in the month of September raised $150 million. The earlier estimates had been about a hundred. They always kind of leak a lower figure so they can exceed it. If a Republican had not taken public financing, and had raised all that money, and the Democrat was struggling financially, wouldn't we see a lot of stories about one candidate essentially trying to buy the election?

MARK HALPERIN, TIME MAGAZINE: We would. We would also see a lot of stories about his going back on his word saying that he would accept the public money and would reach out to Sen. McCain to try to work out a deal. So, I think this is, this is a case of a clear, unambiguous double standard, and any reporter who doesn't ask themselves, "Why is that? Why would it be different if it were a Republican?" I think is doing themselves and our profession and our democracy a disservice.   

Bravo, Mark!

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.


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I'm Underwhelmed

Just a blind squirrel finding a nut by chance. 

Problem for the MSM, IS, the blind Squirrel Found an ACORN

And the MSM Identified the Squirrel as a NUT.

MSM giving you News, you CAN"T USE . . .  

yeah, a

yeah, a "disservice"

pretty strong language - i am all a quiver

Government is the "greedy capitalism" of marxists

Right on!

We no longer have a free press in America. The Bill of Rights is in jeopardy.  Looks to me like a  Socialist/Communist America is here.

NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"

Saturation Point

I think we're finally reaching that saturation point that some people keep mentioning. The media fawning over Obama might actually start doing a disservice to the dems and media. People can only take so much before they realize they're being fed what to think and need to start look elsewhere for actual facts, not fantasies. There may be hope for the national IQ yet.

Obama has spent 3 to 4

Obama has spent 3 to 4 times more $$$$ in media ads than McCain. Of COURSE the media will favor him. He's a cash cow for them. Windfall revenues and all that. If Obama ordered the MSM to wear funny hats made out of cow flop, they would all do it with a smile. That they agree with him politically just seals the deal.

 

Frightening

I think is doing themselves and our profession and our democracy a disservice.

I think this is an understatement. This is Orwellian and I cannot help but think that we are dealing with Big Brother -  Obamaspeak. But I am not trying to be humerous here.

What happened to Joe in Ohio and a NY Times reporter invading the privacy of a 16 year old daughter of a candidate without so much as a slap is unheard of.

 

Not much into conspiracies but...

The parallels of 1984 and an Obama Presidency is less of a stretch than Namoi Wolf's lunacy.. We already see the trends. "The One", who is propagandized in the media promoting a "Perpetual War" on the rich and wall street. Supported by the Ministry of Peace, Truth, Love & Plenty in ACORN, MSM, The Democratic Party, NEA.

They twist the truth, intimidate the masses and indoctrinate the youth. "The One" vilifies dissenters through various arms and surrogates, and promise to reward his supporters with "Redistribution of Wealth"..  I'm trying to write an article on this subject... I'm just not a very good writer.. 

TRUTH spoken about THEY who do not RESPECT the TRUTH

I only Trust the MSM reporting when I see Football Scores, as the Players on the Field Control the Game, and if you Gain 15 yards, the MSM cannot report it as a SACK and a Loss of 5 Yards. 

Instant Replay rules, if only the Lies by the MSM on Tuesday, were subjected to Instant Replay on Wednesday, exposing the Tuesday lies and exaggerations.

NYSlimes

When does bias become slime? When the NYSlimes runs a slime hit piece (and tries to contact his children, actually asking slimey people to send their made up slime to them) on the wife of the republican running for POTUS and another news outlet has the number to call to cancel your NYSlimes subscription scrolling on the bottom of the screen during a newscast. Maybe Hussein O's paid ads can save the NYSlimes, but I think it will only delay the bankrupt filing until Jan. If Hussein is elected they will have a choice, print his talking points and nothing more or die.

Why is Hillary supporting Hussein? Is her family living under a death threat from the 'Nation of Islam', and Louie the louse?

Old, Retired and glad of it.

Two Years

There are those of us, who really fear a President Obama with a a huge House majority and a filibuster proof Senate.  I would personally regard this as a disaster, since there would be no restraint on the likes of Pelosi and Reid and Schumer, and Waxman, and Rangel, and Dodd, etc. 

The framers, however, were very intelligent in providing us with a relief valve for this sort of behavior and it's called Congressional Elections every 2 years.  We know what Congress alone, with a Republican President is capable of doing to the country, I'm sure we've all seen the e-mail about where we were 2 years ago, just imagine, if you will, where we will be in 2010.  The irony is the Democrats probably believe that the country wants national health care and their taxes raised.  They Democrats probably believe that, the top 5 percent, don't have the resources to take their money and move it out of tax range.  The Democrats probably believe that people will be willing to invest their money and have the dividends of those investments be taxed, to the extent that they are worthless.  Yes, the Democrats have some strange ideas and Obama is probably to the left of most Democrats. 

Now, after that long winded comment, here is the one point that actually fits into this thread.  Once the American people figure out they were hoodwinked by a press that refused to vet the Presidential Candidate in 2008.  Once they realize that they have a press that never pointed out the culpability of the Democrats in this present financial crisis.  Once they realize that there's a dual standard for covering the political parties, that's gotten worse over the years, they will just turn off the comments from the press and do their own research.  

The framers blessed us with a free press for a reason, to hold politicians responsible and to hold their feet to the fire if the screwed up.  How this charge ended up turning into a syncophant press scrupulously avoiding any story that might affect their candidate of choice, is beyond me.  The press has a great deal of responsiblity and they've chosen to avoid it for 2 years.  I believe they will be held accountable for that. 

Democrats: Stuck on Stupid since 2000.

Just out of curiosity, how

Just out of curiosity, how high is the barrier of entry to be part of MSM?

Maybe this is an opportunity.

Can you lean to the

left? Then jump in with both feet, tell your new employer that you "want to change the world", steal others' work (as your own), don't tell the truth and then blame Bush.

So, I'd say, the barrier is kinda low, easy, and pays well - just don't bring any ethics, logic or common sense to the party, 'cause if they smell honesty, you're done.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

slow boil

I hate to say it, but the lurch to the left actually has proud Americans about to vote for a socialist.  There may a wake up (after the elections) when Pelosi and Reid get open field running and start the "change" that so many claim to want.

The wake up should happen now....not this 18 month media slow boil of conditioning Americans to believe the opposite of what our grandfathers died to protect us from...

...this is a travesty of journalism and most good, but casual observer Americans may not realize it until it's too late to get out of the pot...

 

We've already had a preview!

We've seen, in the past 2 years, what the Democrats are capable of proposing, and what a Senate with the filibuster can stop.  Once we get into Part II, I bet some people will be amazed. 

Democrats: Stuck on Stupid since 2000.

They are Celebrating Their Impact!

Nothing like doing a Victory Dance 2 weeks before the Game!

NOW is the Time to DEFEAT the Empty Black Suit named OBAMA!

Send these Leftists Assholes back to Chicago where they belong!

See if Michelle can afford Lobster and Iranian Caviar on her own damn salary!

STOP OBAMA NOW!

How strange coming from Halperin - he's in the tank for Obama

This is the first critical thing I've heard him say of him and he's constantly criticizing McCain.  His Morning Joe appearances are a joke - you would think he was an Obama spokesman.

He's also the one who started it all in the 2004 election with his infamous memo telling ABC news anchors and producers to treat Bush's misstatements more seriously than Kerry's.  

I'll never have any respect for this man.  He's a political hack and I can only imagine he's saying this one thing because it's not that damaging to Obama and he can then claim some type of fairness in his obviously extremely biased comments in every other case.  

Halpern

Halpern is one of the few reporters left with some shred of objectivity. They all seem to be have ABC roots.  Jack Tapper, Brian Ross,  John Stossel.

None are perfect, but they are at least critical at times of Democrats.

The liberal media has

The liberal media has finally come completely out of the closet this election season, and shown themselves as who they really are: bias, agenda-driven liberals (socialist). It's too late for them to ever go back into the closet and hide their true agenda.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nationally syndicated talk show Mark Levin will be on CSPAN's Q&A tonight (Sunday) at 8pm (ET) discussing a variety of issues including conservative values.

Halperin called McCain Insane

 This is rich coming from Halperin who on Charlie rose was laughing calling John McCain insane. For those who know what John McCain endured in Vietnam, that is like Halperin telling a woman who was raped that she was a slut.

What is Halperin's excuse in not covering the stories he knows need to be covered?

Halperin is the problem just like all the other liberals are the problem. The only reason he gives a fig about any of this is Obama's numbers are diving and he knows the liberal press has killed themselves as no one is going to listen to them ever again.

 

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

The "disservice" just means

that the losers who write, or perform, in front of cameras, haven't announced their agenda - that of being the leaders of the new Department of Communication. This cabinet post will release all the news that THEY think the public needs, regardless of truth, need, or urgency.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

I find it interesting that with...

...ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, PBS, NPR etc in the tank for Obama, how there was so little uproar over BHO's comment about Fox News coverage costing him 2-3 points in the polls. 

It didn't occur to anyone that the coverage from the non-Fox networks isn't worth at least 10% to the Annointed One?

MSM bias

I have thought about the media bias and how so-called journalist cannot see it.  My fear is that too many kids that go to journalism schools have been indoctrinated by the crap they see on TV, hear in music, see in movies, and read in papers.  It seems to me (I am 59) that the media bias has only grown more and more leftward since the 60s.  This means that two generations of Americans have grown up immersed in unwavering liberal bias.  And, unless kids grow up in staunch conservative homes where politics is discussed, they will be pressured by peers to agree with the conventional wisdom that Repubs are evil and Dems are good.  This is akin to Wahhbisim, the Islamic method of immersing children in hatred for Judiasim.  Teach a puppy to fear your raised hand and it is near impossible to untrain him. 

Is there a treatment for this? I fear that the fact that conservatives act conservatively will be our demise.