Putting the Times Story in Perspective

As most probably know by now, the New York Times published a front page article today that suggested (though never outright) that John McCain had an affair with a lobbyist and that this lobbyist received special treatment from him in committee. The story relies on unnamed and anonymous sources. Much of the evidence is anecdotal at best and on top of it, it is mostly years old.

Now, yesterday, the talk of the conservative media was the gaffe made by Michelle Obama. According to a report by the Conservative Media Research Center, the major networks as well as CNN either didn't cover the Michelle Obama story at all or, in the case of NBC, they framed it as an attack by Cindy McCain on Michelle Obama.

The New York Times itself buried the Obama story deep within its own pages. Now, I myself, have warned the Conservative media not to run too gleefully with this story, but that doesn't mean it didn't warrant front page coverage in every newspaper the day after it happened.

Such is the peculiar media world we live in. This latest contrast is yet another example of the naked bias that the MSM shows toward one side over another. We see it all the time. Iraq has suddenly become a non story now that things have turned around. Abu Ghraib received roughly fifty front page stories from the very New York Times that buried the Michelle Obama story. Air America was the subject of story after story most of which were found in the front page of major newspapers when it first began to air. Little was mentioned of its dismal failings in the ratings.

This is just the latest episode. A corrupt media threatens the very fabric of our democracy and yet that is exactly what we have. Lee Cowan admitted that he has trouble maintaining objectivity in covering Barack Obama. Rather than being taken off the beat immediately by his employer, NBC, their anchor Brian Williams called the admission courageous.

The battle lines have been drawn. Rather than objectively covering the race, the MSM has decided to make Barack Obama their guy. He will likely be treated with kid gloves throughout, and who knows what other surprises John McCain will still face.