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Alegre's Corner
We're not finished folks - not by a long shot!

Your Free Press at Your Service: Should I Laugh Or Cry?

by: ghost2

Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 23:09:47 PM EDT


Today, I came across this article on the Washingtonpost on its treatment of the two Presidential candidates: McCain and Obama.

Deberoh Howel's column is self explanatory.  In all the metrics she uses, the Post has used more photographs of Obama than McCain.  While overall, Obama is ahead 3-2, it's telling that with respect to large photos, those that in the words of DH "spanned three or more columns", Obama comes out 30 to 10.  

Surely, this is nothing new.  The press has always had favorites.  More telling is reading the rationalizations and reasoning The Washington Post's Ombudsman gives:  
ghost2 :: Your Free Press at Your Service: Should I Laugh Or Cry?
Part of Obama's visual success in The Post is due to three factors, like them or not -- Obama as phenomenon; that he's photogenic; and good photo opportunities. But none of that gets The Post off the hook for the McCain photo gap. There is no Post policy that the paper must run pictures of equal size and color and quality. But there is the rule that everyone knows: Be fair.

(bold emphasis here and in the following quotes are mine.)

She continues:

Factors two and three: Obama and his backgrounds are simply more photogenic. And my guess is that he smiles more, and that makes a better photo. This is not a partisan statement. Remember Ronald Reagan? Like Reagan's staff, Obama's campaign has a genius for putting him in places that make good photo ops.

McCain's got a great smile, too, but his photos usually show him looking serious. I looked through days of photos to confirm that. McCain also is often wearing a baseball cap outside to protect his skin from another melanoma, and it shades his face.

Silly me, I thought Presidents were meant to be serious, and the Press was meant to provide serious coverage.  After all, every time anyone talks of journalistic ethics or lack thereof, or anyone talks of regulation of corporate press, don't I hear the scream of the Press to the effect that they, and only they, are guardians of democracy, and without their freedom to do what the hell they want, we are doomed?  

The column continues by quoting Richard Benedetto, whose research inspired this column by the Ombudsman.

Benedetto also thought that the photos of Obama were "more candid, personal, artistic, and flattering. . . . There were few artistic photos of McCain. Most were traditional campaign shots. . . . One exception was a shot of McCain speaking with the yellow glow of an ornate chandelier in the background."

You can read the whole thing here.
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Your Free Press at Your Service: Should I Laugh Or Cry? | 14 comments
Tips for a responsible and fair press. (0.00 / 0)

Where? Where is this press you speak of? (0.00 / 0)
Fair?  Go to the UK where all are treated equally bad.

I think even the OmbudsPerson is full of crap.  

Fighting for women at Partizane

[ Parent ]
Speaking of UK, (0.00 / 0)
Here is another gem I found via comments of TALKLEFT:

He ventured forth to bring light to the world.

It's a week old, but quite fun.  

[ Parent ]
Let me quote: (0.00 / 0)
From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

The whole thing is really good.  


[ Parent ]
OMG (0.00 / 0)
So shallow!  How embarrassing to express such drivel.   I seriously doubt with this rubric of who's the most photogenic if Lincoln, FDR, or Truman would ever have been elected.  Shame on the MSM for promoting this kind of crap!
i'd cry if i were you... (0.00 / 0)
...if all the ombudsman can do is say, "we are looking into it..."

But these kinds of discrepancies feed distrust on the part of readers, especially conservative ones, who already complain that The Post is all for Obama. Next week, I will examine the stories.

stay tuned... or not. it IS deborah howell, after all, so don't expect much.

Barack Obama's election proves that any male can grow up to be president, provided he's willing to use misogyny as a campaign strategy.

Here is what realy annoys me. (0.00 / 0)
And if (a big if) I were a good writer, I could make a good case of it.

The corporate media constantly and intentionally blurr the line between the freedom of expression, and the unrestricted media ownership.  The latter is actually a hinderance on the first.

I think if the so-called 4th state is to be saved, there should be serious restrictions on media consolidation and media power.  But trying to restrict the Press is like trying to reign in Iowa and New Hampshire, and get some other state to go first.  Both efforts seem to be doomed to failure.  Because in order to restrict them, you need their will and cooperation.  In case of the Press, you don't have a prayer.  Which President and which legislature will dare to restrict the corporate press, and will it even pass the Supreme Court?

It's a very serious issue.  Just see what Murdoch has tried to do.  Press has a shit-load of power.  It is unchecked.  Any surprise the big global corporation also own stocks in US Media (example: GE)? And do you think for a moment a free thinker could survive the groupthink and not going by that would dictate? To be clear, I don't think at all there is an active conspiracy.  (That's stupid by the way, and never gets results you want.)

I think you are more likely to find fringe thinkers (think: Kucinich, McKinney) in Congress than in the media.  Funny, isn't it??

Sorry for the rant.  I am just thinking out loud.  Trying to  see if there is a way out of this dilemma, namely, a very shallow and irresponsible press.

[ Parent ]
yeah, they're starting to resemble the big healthcare and insurance companies. (0.00 / 0)
same business model.  

Barack Obama's election proves that any male can grow up to be president, provided he's willing to use misogyny as a campaign strategy.
[ Parent ]
But, (0.00 / 0)
Insurance companies are not protected by The Constitution.  They actually have to buy the influence piece by piece.  
[ Parent ]
Don't be too sure about that, (0.00 / 0)
didn't the Republican Congress, and the courts, give corporations "personhood"? Meaning that corporations now have the same, and in some cases more, rights than an American citizen. That is one thing that has to change, ASAP.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet
hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says
'Oh $#!%'...she's awake!!
[ Parent ]
Celebrity (0.00 / 0)
Celebrity is as celebrity does.

Britney Obama make good photo op.  Can he be a good president?


In a Word... (0.00 / 0)
No.

I'm pretty sure we'll never get the chance to find out though.

Invest in Women - Change the World
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[ Parent ]
in this case (0.00 / 0)
it may be a favor to John McCain.  He's been around, most people think they know him well enough, and they see his pander to the religious right as fake, nothing he'd care much about if he got elected. John is kind of one-issue, his campaign finance reform.  He's feisty and has an anger problem, but he's got the swift-boater's behind him, and they do know how to mock.  Maureen is right, Barack needs to laugh, starting with laughing at the dollar bill.  

Barack is also now clearer about his big priority, consensus. He wants to get input from all and make a decision based on no one feeling disrespected.  So, that's his bottom line, better to get a less perfect bill than possible and show respect, and he assumes that will lead to better and better cooperation.  So, his 'where's the meat" answer is there, it's in respect and consensus, not on any one particular goal. But his personality has become a problem, and is sort of in opposition to his big message, his big priority.

Hillary's out of it for herself, she's trying to help Barack, by giving him a real win in Denver, not something cosmetic that would make it harder for people like me to like voting for Barack.  So, she's the one that has shown the ability to put her own ambitions behind and work for the smart solution, even when other's think the smart solution is her going away and throwing away her influence. That would be dumb for the country and she puts us first.  

Now, if Barack could use Hillary as a model, he'd show what he now only says.  

Hillary - alternative energy

The media (0.00 / 0)

gave us GWB, and now they're givng us BHO. The media's good at getting their chice elected, but their choice ends up being a disaster for the country.

 

Your Free Press at Your Service: Should I Laugh Or Cry? | 14 comments
"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you?re knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on."
Hillary Clinton - June 7, 2008

Hillary Clinton
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