The press has a duty to vet politicians and subject them to an appropriate degree of critical coverage.
But there is a fine line between critical coverage the press actually having it out for a candidate and seeking to destroy him or her. The press has acted in the fashion of the latter when it comes to John McCain and Sarah Palin.
When Sarah Palin was selected as vice-presidential nominee by McCain a whole army of liberal journalists descended on Alaska in an effort to dig up dirt on the candidate. The press has shown her no level of respect, but only scorn. From creating the perception that she is stupid to writing extensively and unjustifiably on her expensive shopping spree.
A New York Times journalists has known to have been scanning the Facebook page of the McCain’s 15-year old daughter in an effort to find anything that could damage McCain’s candidacy. When you have a journalist from the self-defined ‘paper of record’ trying to find dirt on a candidate’s daughter, then it is time for that ‘journalist’ to hand in his press pass for he no longer is a reported but a political hatch man. That is what political pros do, go after family member, not journalist.
The ‘Times also run two front-page critical stories on Cindy McCain.
The media’s outright and thoroughly hostile bias against McCain-Palin is even more striking when one considers that glowing kid-gloves coverage of Barack Obama. And if the ‘Times is going to after a soft-spoken wife such as Cindy McCain who never says anything controversial, then why not have anything to say about the activist and somewhat objectionable Michelle Obama.
You’re right about the war. In the U.S. many had an agenda, they simply supported it and wanted to be seen as patriotic (plus the corporate bosses probably wanted more viewers).