All Three Major Evening News Anchors Will Accompany Obama On His Overseas Trip

New York Times:

Senator John McCain's trip to Iraq last spring was a low-key affair: With his ordinary retinue of reporters following him abroad, the NBC News anchor Brian Williams reported on his arrival in Baghdad from New York, with just two sentences tacked onto the "in other political news" portion of his newscast.

But when Mr. Obama heads for Iraq and other locations overseas this summer, Mr. Williams is planning to catch up with him in person, as are the other two evening news anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS, who, like Mr. Williams, are far along in discussions to interview Mr. Obama on successive nights.

And while the anchors are jockeying for interviews with Mr. Obama at stops along his route, the regulars on the Obama campaign plane will have new seat mates: star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines who are flocking to catch Mr. Obama's first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive nominee of his party.

The extraordinary coverage of Mr. Obama's trip reflects how the candidate remains an object of fascination in the news media, a built-in feature of being the first African-American presidential nominee for a major political party and a relative newcomer to the national stage.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[keepemhonest]

The media does report more on Obama than on McCain. NOT SO FAST ...

The only reason Obama gets more coverage is because the media loathes Obama and even makes up FAUX flip/flops on Obama -- which they cover those FAUX flip/flops for 30 news cycles.

McCain, on the other hand, has gotten a FREE PASS. McCain's Top Advisor, Carly Fiorina goes around the country LYING to women's groups claiming McCain supports policies that McCain does NOT EVEN SUPPORT.

For instance, Fiorina has lied when she said McCain supports the following:
1. Equal Pay for Women - LIE. McCain votes against equal pay for women.
2. Mandatory Birth Control Coverage - LIE. McCain voted against that Bill.
3. Increase Taxes on the Wealthy - LIE again. McCain says he will continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Has the media devoted 1 second to Fiorino's lies? NO.

In the last 3 months McCain has flip/flopped at least 86 times on MAJOR issues. Including Flip/Flopping on Bills HE CO-AUTHORED. Has the media spent 1 second of coverage on that? NO.

If the media would report fairly & honestly without bias ... ie., do their job ... McCain would get more coverage. Seems the corporations that own the media want McCain's Flip/Flops & Lies to slide by the voters BECAUSE: THEY WANT THEIR TAX CUTS.

Pretty sickening huh?

oh, btw: here's the link detailing McCain's Major Flip/Flops.

[AbstractImp]

These are, the three of them, the stiffs who preach to the morons.

[LAJonathan]

I guess it would make sense for the MSM to follow him everywhere while they ignore the hundreds of mistakes McCain has made in this election....all unreported. So I guess this is their compromise. Free press for Barack! I'll accept that...

[wayoutleft]

this will pretty much amount to another party for the media rich and famous. it will inaugurate a de facto end to the war in iraq. the trip will also officially begin the obama presidency. this is where the television industry officially eclipses not only the convention, but the coming landslide election as the institution that brokers power and decides the presidency. with this kind of adulation, it becomes far easier to overwhelm the entire question of iraq than to devise any particular policy. why do politics at all when public relations neutralizes the whole issue? similar public relations onslaughts will overwhelm domestic policy as well. bringing the entourage to american backwaters where the afflicted may touch his robe and behold the majestic procession will inspire the masses to accept their newfound poverty. this mass hysteria makes JFK look like uncle scrooge.
on a career level, for a political journalist to be assigned to something besides obama is slow death. now it is absolutely essential for all these competitive young journalists to work obama or die. rachael maddow's ascent has a lot to do with her early obamaism when her peers still thought hillary connections would pay off.

[jay1975]

What media bias?

[cantu]

Tator,

I am sick and tire of people like you calling Barack a "Messiah" just stop it, just stop it... He is no Messiah, however he is a man with a vision for the 21st century and that is what this country needs. He is nobody Jesus and he does not want to be or clam to be.

Did you ever call Bush or Clinton or Reagan, or McCain or any other politicians a Messiah so just stop the hate on Obama. If you don't like him so be it just keep your names to your self because it's not going to help this country out of the bad shape that it is in.

If you don't know what the word mean I will help you out...

Messiah means "The Chosen (One)", particularly someone divinely chosen...

[Tator]

The media's worship of the Messiah continues......

[wesinohio]

Only people who dislike Obama call him a "messiah", in order to mock his supporters. You are a mocker. Obama represents a new direction toward great improvement for this country.
You must think it's more patriotic to start wars, kill more Iraqis than Saddam ever did, support the biggest government that we've ever had, get high on fear and death and intimidation as if its some kind of wisdom, and think it's fine for government to promote markets where people are priced and used like commodities - I understand that you would prefer Bush and McCain's style - just look at where it's taken us. The performance of our economy and the practices of our country speak volumes about the wisdom of Bush and McCain and - and of their supporters.
On the other hand, the whole country will be a wealthier and happier place under a Barack Obama presidency.

[LeftLeanWing]

The media has already read the Old Man and The Sea.

[keepemhonest]

Tator,

Actually, you're right, Obama is a messiah. Check out The World English Dictionary definition to "messiah."

mes·si·ah (plural mes·si·ahs) n
Savior or liberator: somebody regarded as or claiming to be a savior or liberator of a country, people, or the world.

Yes, if Obama becomes President he will "save" this country's people from the destruction it suffered under the failed McCain/Bush Policies; thus Obama will liberate us and restore our Country's Constitution, rule of law, economy, foreign policy and domestic policy.

Yes, Obama could be our Country's Messiah.

[FilthyPerson]

"The large news media contingent that will travel with Mr. O'bama will be a help if the trip goes wonderfully. But any gaffes will take place before a larger megaphone."

Oh what a big assumption.
1) that any of them will think it's a gaffe and not just a big fat nuance
2) that any of them will report it in a straightforward manner for fear of leftist blowback.

[lotuslike]

It's too early in the day to be wracked with that much jealousy. Grab a donut or something...geez!

[VoLintheVille]

ha Faux New snubbed? gottahateit..........

[olderdem]

Yes, McCain should go to Vietnam. Maybe he could claim he established peace in that country and won that war after al these years, afterall.

[demfriend]

Wow! The triplets are going and this is just the icing on the cake, barf! That this is going to be a three riing circus instead of a real fact finding trip is now assured and that is sad. The idea that the "top" three have to be the ones to bethe headliners for this isn't a show of respect but of lets find out and dig what we can and give it to these "top" people. To me it might border on the idea that they will make it an "event" and make every little detail a dragged out affair that will be beaten to death on every channel and played to the masses like MSM does. MSM has made it their duty of sorts to dig and make issues where there are none for Obama and give Mccain a pass even though his visits to Iraq are usually a series of goof ups.

[dezzertguy]

Well, they are part of his team. I am sure they want to show him in the best possible light during his tour. And, want to have stories to praise him when they get back. He must have a core team that is going with him.

[VSamuels]

You're off base!

The media hasn't as a whole praised Obama, more accurately they have become fascinated that the unknown candidate vanquished the Clintons, who they were counting on to drive their ratings. Now, that Obama is the nominee, they are desperately scrambling to be the first to either expose him as a complete fraud or a 'genius' but nothing they do is purely for the benefit of Obama or his plans. At this point, Obama the candidate is 'hot' and anytime or anything he does is extremely beneficial to the sensational media always either looking for a story or looking to distort a story. Thus, far Obama has run a fundamentally better campaign structure than the Clintons and McCain and this is not allowing the media that many opportunities to narrate Obama.

Obama specifically has limited his messengers to: Alexrod, Gibbs and Dr. Rice; all who are sharp and do not bloviate all of the place like McCain's ever changing surrogates. Your perception that the corporate media is seeking to praise Obama is rather ridiculous and like most of the many things his critics claims, resides soley in your head.

The corporate media's sole mission is [in] a race to define Obama, and the manner in which his campaign deals with the media, should tell us he realizes it as well.

[UnknownSoldier]

I wouldn't even entertain the thought of speaking to any from ABC News after that disgrace of a Debate

[jay1975]

Yeah, how dare they ask questions based in fact that make Obama look bad? Didn't they get the memo to be in the tank like NBC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC?

[andyboy]

I just can't believe Obama has had the temerity to make statements and assertions about our presence in Iraq without actually going there and being excorted around for a couple hours. Has he no shame?

Obama when you go there remember those are soldiers there. The guys in the desert-camo. And they are dying for you and for me Mr Barack.

Also if you have a minute could you ask Malicki where the oil revenues are?

I know approx a half a billion of them have been earmarked for wonderful and grandiose rebuilding efforts but it's the other 69 and 1/2 billion I'm wondering about.

[DennyCrane]

Expect Charlie Gibson to be left behind. He deserves to be shut out.

[greginwva]

Williams is the only one of the three I can tolerate.Gibson is biased jerk.Courics sexism charge ended any remnants of her professionalism.