No Love. For Anyone.

On Thursday, The New Republic published an article entitled "End of the Affair." The article details how the press believes the Obama camp is behaving secretively, arrogantly, and carrying itself with a sense of unearned entitlement.

The love, it seems, is over. But so what? The end of a media affair with a politician shouldn't be a time of mourning, anger, and despair. It is a time that should be celebrated because it means the media has regained its senses. Perhaps, finally, the media will focus on voting records and campaign platforms instead of trivialities like flag pins.

The problem isn't that the press is in the bag for Obama or McCain, though both are true depending on the time and the respective newspaper or network. The problem is that the media has forgotten what objectivity means. Objectivity isn't harping on ridiculous trivialities in both camps. Objectivity is seeing past the spin game and finding the real story (FISA, Iran, energy independence, and the economy).

In journalism, there is no room for love or loyalty toward candidates. Candidate love affairs begin when the press becomes desperate for access. When a candidate like John McCain grants the press unlimited access to his office, the press begins to behave like slutty cheerleaders around the Quarterback. They're just, like, so TOTALLY grateful!! Then, somehow they end up on their knees. They're not sure how.

Or the press confuses itself with entertainment programming. News networks grow bored with the same song and dance every four years, and so they become antsy. Their advertisers want thrilling action stories, sex scandals, and new political blood. They want a new tall, dark stranger to saunter into their lives and shake things up.

Barack Obama is an advertiser's wet dream and he is also the media's ideal candidate. He's the American dream defined, but he is also charming, handsome, and a much needed break from old, tired, white, privileged, and other synonyms for John McCain. Though he never granted the press as much access as McCain did, Obama knew how to work a room. The press practically threw their panties at him whenever he quipped from the podium.

Basically, the media wants to be nice to the guy who was nice to them. Though, that's missing the point of having a press in the first place. Politicians are obligated to be open with the press, but if they choose not to be open, then it's up to journalists to break down the walls and get the information to the people. Otherwise, our democracy is screwed.

A journalist shouldn't schmooze at cocktail parties or go on private golfing retreats with Congressional representatives. A journalist should be the hated outcast. A journalist should inspire fear in politicians. Congressman Smith should feel a cold shiver travel up his spine when he sees a reporter storming through the halls of the Capitol. If politicians don't fear journalists, then the scale of our society is tipped in favor of the corrupt.

Both Obama and McCain enjoy portraying themselves as victims of spin, and they are, but they've also enjoyed positive media attention in the past. The truth is that the media has endured love affairs with both candidates. The media has also regurgitated petty, trivial speculations about Michelle Obama's opinions about America and John McCain's ex-wife, so both candidates have been the victims of "love blowback."

Love blowback is when the media snaps out of its daze, reporters realize they've been humping a candidate's leg for eight months, and so they attack the jugular in hopes of seeming "balanced." Firedoglake speculates that the media ended its love affair with McCain when he treaded too close to the president's ideologies and lost his Maverick appeal.

Obama's "Love blowback" is more complicated. For months, the media has been fascinated by his dream story, including Chris Matthews, who virtually masturbated on air after one of the Senator's speeches. Embarrassed by their behavior, the media now seems hellbent on attacking everything the Senator does now. Sometimes, as with his behavior over FISA, Obama deserves it. Other times, like the ridiculous fixation on Michelle Obama's "radical behavior" smack of fear-based, juvenile smear campaigns, not launched by some nefarious cave troll like Karl Rove, but by the "independent media."

Such blowback isn't balanced. It's the lowest form of tabloid, junk journalism. It's staggering from one extreme to the other in hopes of striking a true chord somewhere along the way. No wonder the American public is so ill-informed, confused, and pissed off. Who are they supposed to trust when the media is so bipolar in its treatment of candidates?

I can't even call this stuff evil. It's silly. Journalists seem to be working stories in reverse where they reach conclusions about a candidate and then rummage around for bits of information to support their latest opinions. One month they decide they're in love with John McCain, and so they report every positive news item supporting that temporary opinion. The next month they hate Barack Obama, and so every network carries a story about "radical" Michelle Obama.

Call us the Land of the Gossip. It's no wonder grassroots, independent news blogs have sprung up across the internet. With this kind of tabloid, junk journalism, we'll need them. There's no place to go but up.

Follow Allison Kilkenny on Twitter: www.twitter.com/allisonkilkenny

Comments

[FarOutFish]

There was a time when journalism was like Dragnet’s Joe Friday’s “Just the facts maam” now it has become “Just the Spin” We have gone from Edward R. Morrow’s “Harvest of Shame” to Martha Stewart’s “Harvest of Fame” In an effort to halt the slide in ratings, news has become entertainment, pandering to the lowest common dominator to please an ignorant and uninterested population who cares about nothing except the antics of some Hollywood celebrity. I noticed this change in the 80’s, wanting no part of “The New Media” I quit.

[tvfreesince93]

This article practically portrays the media as 'victims'. C'mon! That's a joke. The media are the ones perpetuating the sensationalist tripe most Americans consider news.

This article misses the real threat entirely. Media consolidation (thankyou clintons for signing the 1996 telecommunications act- the most damaging piece of legislation in our recent history)

Here is the problem: this is an issue nobody can or will take on. People like Dennis Kucinich talk about it, and look what kind of media coverage he gets.
The media have become FAR too powerful, and unfortunately, our representatives are in no position to do anything about it- in fact, a good ole catch-22, they actually BENEFIT from our broken system- they did get elected, didn't they?

I guess we only have one recourse left- revolution.
I'll start sending out the invitations

[PublicAdvocate]

Journalistic integrity and responsibility means carefullly examining a politician's voting record and seeing if it actually comports to their rhetoric. If it does not a full complete and logical explanation is necessary and if not provided they receive an F and deserve complete roasting.

Sound tough? Sorry, but otherwise there is no point of public debate if accountability can be jettisoned once in office. Politicians who feel no compulsion to honor their word will do what is expediant at the moment. Barack, McCain and Bush have all gotten a free pass on this and no politician ever should.

Wasn't it Bush who promised not to engage in "state building" and to "restore honor and integrity to the White House" and bring Bin Laden to justice? Wasn't it McCain who said torture was "unAmerican" and went on to then endorse it under Bush? Didn't Barack promise to not only oppose retroactive immunity for the telecom's (and amnesty for the Bush/Cheney corp) but fillibuster it?

If journalists don't make politicians live up to their word, debates are frivolous and democracy is a just a hollow ceremonial delusion.

[Busterdawg]

Hello... journalism called and it wants it's objectivity back.

Finally... someone is seeing things in the right light.

The New Republic has come to it's senses.

[aofh]

I disagree that politicans should fear journalist. I think politicans and journalist should operate from mutual respect and trust. Politicans should be honest in their approach to journalist and expect that journalist are going to vet what they are being told. They should also understand and expect that journalist will ask tough, sometime uncomfortable questions. But journalist must also be honest with and about politicans. Journalist should not skew politicans from a personal agenda. If a journalist feels he/she is being lied to, he/she should report as much and explain why he/she feels that way. As much as fear and mistrust inform the relationship between politicans and journalist, the general public is ill-served.

Of course, none of this addresses the silliness that passes so often for journalism these days.

[PatriotBrooke]

Love it Allison! Good point : "Perhaps, finally, the media will focus on voting records and campaign platforms instead of trivialities like flag pins."

I've met several people lately who are voting one way or another for extremely trivial, superficial reason. One guy recently told me that he was voting McCain because Obama didn't sport the flag pin on his lapel for some time... Frikken pathetic - people like that are obviously NOT informed politically and maybe shouldn't vote!

I also concur that Rove is cave troll-esque! Grassroots all the way man... But I wonder if the Alt/Indie media will ever be considered "main stream." I wonder if people will ever become so outraged by the so called journalists (aka gossip hounds) that they will demand a more balanced and fair public news source. Probably not.... Oh hail to the bloggosphere!

-Brooke Dressler

[cpscscs]

Watergate never would have been uncovered if we had the press then that we do now. Whatever happened to reporters making phone calls to confirm what one source had given them? They are not reporters, they are stenographers.

[katemadison]

I agree with the objectivity part of your comments. I am confused, though, about the part suggesting the media has had a love affair with Obama. When did this happen? How did I miss it? Did they sneak it in between Rev. Wright, terrorist fist bumps, Michelle hates America, inexperienced, Hussein, Osama, wish he were dead, Chicago thug, socialist, communist, terrorist, wimp, elitist, argula, wants orange juice instead of coffee, pacifist, bitter, Ayers, Muslim terrorist, arrogant.............

[insanityfollows]

Good blog. You are right on the money.

[egal]

Are these so-called media moguls determined not to pay attention, or just accepting Clinton and McCain's assertions on the base of their word? It's odd how the claims of Obama getting it easy always come amidst signs of the very opposite and ridiculously reaching claims of how Obama has "screwed up".

At no time has there been a media love affair with Obama. Yes, they pay attention, yes, his story's interesting, but also YES, they've done their best to slight, impugn, vilify, and undermine Obama by calling him arrogant, elitist, Muslim, foreign, inexperienced, and a host of other terms that are so far from love that it would embarass those who claim Obama's getting special treatment if they had any conscience whatsoever, or even a lick of .

[Mattjoe]

‘Behaving secretively, arrogantly, and carrying itself with a sense of unearned entitlement’

Mrs. Kilkenny, are you sure The New Republic article wasn’t about Republican legacy?

I think it’s about time the MSM and the current administration feel a little violation of their own for once.

Payback s’a bitch.

[suppressed08news]

The MSM are sore losers, they don't report the real truth and then act all shocked when they get snubbed.

[chefrasta]

Hillary lost give it a rest please!!!!

[randomx6]

Another sore winner. You people just amaze me.

[readytsf]

Amen, sister!!!! How did they let you post this? This is the center of Obama worship.........

[werbenjagermanjensen]

"The New Republic" is essentially a neoconservative organ. As such it represents a certain point of view within the Democratic party (the Blue Dog/DLC/Lieberman POV) but those people undoubtedly supported Hillary and will vote for McCain or Bob Barr rather than condescend to vote for "Osama, er, Obama."

Come to think of it, I stopped reading TNR in the 1980s after they ran a piece defending businesses' right to keep their doors locked and refuse to 'buzz in" scary looking black men. It figures.