Media Must Not Cover Palin Until She Holds a Press Conference

I know I'm supposed to talk about the debate today, but I could not help but notice that the McCain campaign is still embarrassed by Sarah Palin. That's why she's campaigning in Texas, not a contested state, and California, a huge loser for the Republicans. Do you see Sarah Palin in a battleground area, say, Ohio or Pennsylvania?

Of course not, because the McCain campaign still lives in fear of Palin saying the wrong thing in a place where it may matter. So Palin continues to regurgitate what's handed to her by the campaign, and the fanatics she attracts eat it up; they eat it up and they are still hungry for more. For the zealots, it's not enough to say Obama pals around with a terrorist. They shout that Obama is a terrorist! There's no place to go that's too far when you're talking to the fringes of society. Obama's a lesbian! is right around the corner.

But Palin gets media coverage, and this baffles me. Why cover Palin if the media cannot speak to her? Why cover her if, as is now the case, the media are not allowed to talk to her supporters?

This is ridiculous. It's out of hand. And the media that continue to cover Palin's repetition of talking points are the enablers of a McCain-Palin regime that embraces the tactics used in China.

No talking to the VP candidate. No asking her views. We'll let you in the press know what you can say about Palin.

Jeez, I did a three minute segment on Fox News last week that was more of a back and forth than Palin has done since she became the nominee!

Andrew Sullivan was the first to talk about Palin's failure to hold a press conference, but I thought the McCain campaign would allow Palin to do a press conference at some point. They have not.

The press needs to stand up, not just for itself, not just for the right of a free press, but for the people. This isn't about the McCain campaigns' need to hide Palin. This is about the possibility of a future president who refuses to hold a press conference.

This is about a possible future President who hides in plain sight.

This is about democracy and our right to know and to hear from a candidate, unfiltered.

The press needs to grow up, and say, "We're not going to take it anymore." You know what, some conservatives may get pissed. Too bad. Stand up for what's right.

Follow the lead of Campbell Brown on CNN - there's a person who, regardless of her views (she's married to Dan Senor, who was Coalition spokesperson in Iraq), is outraged by the McCain camp's treatment of Palin. Why is she the only non-partisan media person speaking out?

No more Palin until Palin stands in front of a podium and gives a press conference.

Comments

[jja]

I totally agree. The press should stop giving her any coverage until she agrees to let the American people hear what she has to say. What happened to transperancy?

[fnygy]

I've been saying this for awhile - stop covering her! Why should she benefit from press coverage when she refuses to answer questions? But, Campbell Brown got it wrong. It isn't sexism on the campaign's part that keeps Palin from answering questions - they're just being sensible. The sexism is in the media that ALLOWS them to do this - without ramifications. Seriously, if she were a man - would they put up with this? Talk about the bigotry of low expectations. STOP COVERING PALIN - until she answers questions.

[profsteph]

AMEN. If she won't have the consideration to speak to the American people and answer OUR questions (via the press) - then why cover her? Every day is the same snapshot of her in a suit jacket, behind a podium, saying something snarky about Obama ... same thing every day.

[RedDogBear]

I wouldn't mind them still covering Palin if they actually did their job. I can remember when journalists actually asked hard questions, asked follow-up questions, and checked the things politicians said against the facts. What I would like is to see some of that again rather than the personality based infotainment crap.

[Just2stressed]

For weeks, I have been wondering why the media doesn't make her an example, and stop covering her. They have the power to let the MCCain campaign come crawling to them, and they keep tolerating McCain/Plain's insult. My goodness, they NEED to take a stand.

[mysterygirl18]

Quit feeling sorry for Palin...she's loving this and the media will never stop covering her...they are under the misguided notion that America wants more of her so they won't stop...


http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople

[Moab23]

Thank you, I have been saying this for weeks now. I can't believe that she is still in the news.

[repubsrbad]

Especially since her supporters are starting to become threatening to the press who do show up.

[professoramy]

Yes, this is one of the most chilling steps in the Palin/McCain campaign yet. Without doubt, Palin's intention [or her handlers' intention] is to incite just such abomination: threatening the African American members of the press. That one incident alone should make ALL members of the press join together as Matt suggests and boycott Palin's appearances. Without Palin, McCain loses his perky six-pack beard. And his spiritual and ethical impotence is exposed for all to see.

[Norak]

It's a natural reaction to want the MSM not to cover her with the restrictions her handlers put on them, and her nasty comments after. But remember they have Republican readers "also,too," who like reading about her. Actually, I think the media is doing a savvy job of reporting her stupid comments and letting her hang herself with her own words.

[nobillary1]

I totally agree with you Matt. Since you're lucky enough to have far greater exposure to the masses than the average blogger, I'm glad you decided to bring this idea out in the open.

It's deplorable that the McCain campaign, or Sarah Palin herself, would expect to keep her from interacting with the media in the first place, but the frosting on the cake is when she finally DID agree to interviews, she blamed the media for asking "gotcha questions" and proclaimed she was "annoyed" at the questions, so she chose not to answer them! I'm sorry, but when she decided "not to blink" and accepted this nomination, anything that is asked of her candidacy should be fair game. ALL OTHER candidates have submitted to media scrutiny, so for her to feel above that, speaks volumes about her perception of herself.

She's practically an unknown to the majority of voters and she's apparently unaware that WE THE PEOPLE have every right to ask pertinent questions of her if she aspires to be the next VPOTUS. When everyone was wondering who Barack Obama was, and the MSM was delving into every little detail of his life 24/7 in all the papers and news programs, it was so "people could get to know him". Why is the MSM not delving into her life in the same way?

BTW, I post here as nobillary1 but I'm mrspeel at "Digg", so I'm not plagiarizing my "Digg" post.

[respectingothers]

ive been emailing the media this all week. I couldn't agree more! she's just mouthing propaganda incitingf hate. it's time she had to answer a few of the big questions people want to hear!

[batspaul]

Absolutely right! Just covering campaign events and transmitting prepared remarks and talking points again and again amounts to free advertising and nothing else.

Every respectable media outlet needs to demand that candidates conduct press conferences if they want to articulate their messages through those outlets.

We all know why she's kept away from the press. It is an open secret. Which network, journal, or journalist is finally going to step up and show some spine? We're waiting....

[GoBarryGo]

I would like to see one of them - just one of them - take this stand. My guess is their ratings would soar. I would gladly tune in to a Palin Free Zone exclusively. Come on, MSNBC, you want to be the anti-Faux -- pledge to do this, that you will stop giving her air time until she answers questions like a real candidate.

[sheisme]

I am concerned that the media continue to flock around Palin and play continuous loops of her dangerous rhetoric against Obama, without being able to ask fact-finding questions that require accountability from the candidate. Palin is getting a free pass to scorch and burn without having to pass through the fires herself. And it really peeves me that I have yet to see a Biden rally covered ... far from the looped reels we see of Palin ... draped in virginal white ... spewing hatred through the evil axis of her polished, colored lips.

[jhender250]

Thank you for this article......I think Mccain and esp. Pallin are cowards.
she stands behind a curtain created by the Mc cainites..and throw these lies and no one can make here defend what she is saying or ask her to follow up on the charges she is making. To get a breathe of knowledge from her....until she can face all the media there should be a blackout for her...please get this to MSM.....SHE IS A COWARD. she is no pitbull or barracuda...she's a jellyfish...no spine

NO MORE COWARDLY ACTS..... be a real hockey mom and stand before the puck