Voters express frustration with media coverage of ’08 race
Ari Pinkus
Posted: 07.23.2008 / 7:47 AM EDT
Media types always seem to be looking for that photo op, sound bite, or snappy quote from a pol that will make the story come alive for the public.
That’s surely true in the latest media feeding frenzy: Barack Obama’s trip to Afghanistan and the Middle East. It’s enough already, say many people, including Patchwork Nation correspondents.
Despite the myriad outlets, the American press is hardly a voice of authority during this campaign season. Voters are seeking more detail about the Iraq war and what’s behind the rising price of gasoline. While they continue to go to mainstream media sources for their news, they often find their content lacking.
Many of our Patchwork Nation correspondents report that thoughtful, in-depth campaign coverage is hard to come by – not that they aren’t spending quality time looking for it.
The Rev. Ellis Washington, a pastor at St. Matthews African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia (“Industrial Metropolis”), estimates that he easily devotes eight hours a week to following the campaign. Three to four hours of that time he’s online and the rest is mostly spent watching CNN, his “network of choice,” he says.
CNN is the first website he clicks on for the latest happenings. A supporter of Senator Obama, Mr. Washington says he finds the cable network and Internet site “more neutral, but slightly left-leaning,” he says. The other websites he visits are MSN and The Washington Post. He’s like the 24 percent of Americans who say they get some of their information about the campaign from the Internet, according to a Pew Research Center survey taken in December. In fact, MSNBC, CNN, and Yahoo News are the most popular sources of news about the ’08 race, the survey found.
Washington’s chief criticism is that “the media spend too much time on nonessential issues like flag pins,” he says, referring to the flap over Obama’s decision to not wear and then to wear a flag pin on his lapel. Eighty-eight percent of Americans believe that coverage focuses on trivial issues, according to a survey released by Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership last fall.
While the media focus on such “nonsense,” he says, “we’re not getting the reason why the price of oil is so high. It’s important, so that when a candidate makes a promise, we’re in a better position to know if they can do what they say. We end up just frustrated that we pay so much for gas.” On the Iraq war, he says, coverage is better, but it, too, could be improved with more detail about the casualties there in addition to the killed-in-action figures which are already reported.
Kathy Heicher, a resident of Eagle, Colo., (“Boom Towns”) and an avid reader of The Denver Post, says she also would like to see “more explanation on how the candidates are going to deal with the rising cost of gas and drill down on the issue of Iraq.”
Just as bad as the lack of context is when the media zero in on the candidates’ gaffes, Ms. Heicher says. “The media will talk about how John McCain messed up in a speech. But if you’re making that many speeches, chances are that you may make a mistake.”
Anne Hall, director of the North Lincoln County Historical Museum in Lincoln City, Ore., (“Service Worker Centers”) is more blunt. “That approach is anathema to me.”
It’s a common complaint. Sixty-eight percent of Americans say there’s been too much coverage of “gotcha moments” in this race, according to the Harvard survey.
Ms. Hall prefers to watch the BBC where she says she gets the “international picture” and the back story about key issues. She also likes hearing about how the two presidential candidates are viewed across the world, she says.
It would be good if the media could provide candidates the opportunity to engage in long-form interviews, she and Ms. Heicher say. Hall cites Obama’s appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” a few years ago as an example. It was that broadcast that piqued her interest in the Democratic candidate.
During the next few months, Hall would welcome a more conceptual style to learn about the two candidates. “I want to hear each man talk about their worldviews, what the US’s role in the world should be, how they would handle the war and the economy, and what the relationship between Congress and the president should be.”
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 am EDT
I think the reporter are not journalist and do not report the facts as they should. The people like myself are frustrated and feel like the propaganda coming at them is much like Russia was in the cold war where everything is controlled and no news is reported for fear of retaliation from the government or other intimidators like the owners of the media. There is no FREE PRESS as because the media doesn’t have the guts to report the true events as they occur. They are intimidated by the owners who want their agenda to be covered and the government because the government is violating the US laws as well. The whole thing is a waste of time. I have stopped listening. The news media is biased and only reports on what stupid things they want the people be led like sheep. Sorry, I get the news from all sources and try to sieve out the real story from the gaff which is false. I was hoping the Christian monitor would be different but you have the propaganda thing going as well and not reporting the true facts, where are the real Journalists??? real reporters??? who went through **** to report the facts to the people???? I want those reporters back…..Thanks.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am EDT
It is disappointing and frustrating to see the extreme media bias, for both sides of the political spectrum, that passes today for reporting. The days of unbiased media reporting is long past and to be an informed citizen one must be able to filter through the bias by researching the story through multiple outlets to get a balanced story.
But then again what we see in the media is no different than what happens every day in Congress and state legislative bodies across the country.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 am EDT
Gentlemen:
Am fed up the way the news are reported. It is one a complete unbalance reporting, specially when it comes to the two candidates for the presidency. It’s sickening to see and hear that the media is on the box for Barack Hussein, who can NOT be critized or said nothing about this candidate. He is treated as if he is the Messaiah and the Untouchable, even as Hillary was running. She was punched from every side and not given the same treatment as this senator. Now McCain is being given the same treatment as Hillary’s. It’s a disgrace that we don’t have an honest media anymore. It’s a complete bias one. It’s seems that the bureaucrats and special interest are running everything now a day with their money to get their political agenda accomplished. They are in favor of everything that is anti-American and don’t care whose character they destroy, as long as their Ratings go up?
Where are the true honest,responsible and with character American reporters that we used to have years ago? It’s time to bring them back, so the people can have the real balance news to let citizens know the truth of what is happening in our country and the whole world.
As for Barack Hussein, am tired of the reports of how smart he is and given the status of a Massaiah Rock Star. He can not even speak clear when questions had been asked. It was sickening just a day ago, his stuttering, could not give a clear answer to the question at a meeting, while in his tour in the middle east. Where he acting as if is already elected U.S president. It looks like he can not give an straight answer unless his advisers give a written one? God have mercy and help us if this man get elected by the leftist media.
God Bless America and keep it free from the evildoers!
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am EDT
I don’t see any problem with network news at all, I watch all 3 major networks. (Katy Couric did an excellent ‘in depth’ interview with Obama just yesterday) It’s the public who don’t watch that are ill informed and of course cable “news” is a joke. The proof is in the last 2 Presidential elections. I’ll give BBC credit though, they do a good job.
CNN pretty much stopped doing ‘news’ shortly after Ted Turner sold it to Time Warner and Fox never has done “news”.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm EDT
“I don’t see any problem with network news at all”.
You are kidding, right? The only part of any network news that even slightly smells like actual information are the 1/2 hour syndicated “national” news segments. The problem is that, even though they have good people in the field, they are pushed to focus on the sensational, vacuous stuff that tabloid news shows feature. Why? Because people watch that ****. They get ratings.
The Networks want ratings too, so they go along with it.
It’s sad because there are reporters out there risking their lives to get the story out. Chief CBS News foreign correspondent Lara Logan, who recently returned from Iraq, appeared on The Daily Show (which has been pretty good at pointing out how horribly bad the “real” news programs have gotten).
“Do you watch the news that we’re watching in the United States?” Stewart asked. “Do you see what we’re hearing about the war?”
“No,” replied Logan. “If I were to watch the news that you hear in the United States, I’d just blow my brains out, because it would drive me nuts.”
We have war problems, energy problems, two-party political problems, environmental problems, edurkashun porblems and health care problems
but I just can’t live without knowing if Britney is in rehab!
When I see just how much time is allocated to celebrities, serial killers, and fear mongering (all the same components of teen-slasher movies) it’s no wonder that the news-o-tainment companies have no time or interest in boring the viewers with thoughtful, in depth reporting.
Add to all of this that the political attack ads started in JUNE this year and you have all the ingredients for a completely disconnected public.
Maybe that’s what they want, in the end…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:19 am EDT
I would have to agree with sylvia above. The media in the U.S. more resembles a propaganda machine than anything else and it’s not just limited to the News outlets. The propaganda mechanism has infiltrated commercials and entertainment shows to such an extent that our household has for all practical purposes, turned off the t.v. We no longer “allow the propaganda schills into our living room” or any other room of our home for that matter. And the problem isn’t just the national news, we had it plainly demonstrated to us during the Katrina debacle that our local news outlets censor the news, measuring stories against the agenda of political correctness. A word of warning to whomsoever might win this election; we don’t believe, we don’t listen and we won’t cooperate!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:25 am EDT
I believe the major news corporations, print and television, do not do a fair job of reporting significant stories. All a person needs to do is watch the same story reported on Fox News and then MSNBC. A reasonable person might come away with the idea that the two “news” stations were reporting on different stories.
Its a shame when reporters have been conditioned to report only what is bad about a candidate, without examining the whole story. I remember watching the debate when John McCain stated that troops could remain in Iraq for 100 years. He said it in the context of the way we have troops in Korea and Europe, but the media continued to allow pundits to say it as if he meant troops at their present combat state. What a shame! I guess there is no attempt at independent professionalism in the media anymore. It is controlled by those select people, with left or right leanings, who have their own agenda, .
July 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am EDT
If one spins the channel you will see the same stoies covered by all TV. The same is true of newspapers. To a great extent this is becaue newsrooms across he nationhave been decimated and news has become just entertainment.
But there is still a great amount of informaion avaialble, but those sources are not “mainstream”.
Your complint about the campaign news is just a thirst for more cmaign entertainment.
What you really want is indepth coverage of issues backed by hard data and good source data. This is not very glamorous stuff.
Campaign info is just more of the same -personalty and fame-
The presdent connot make changes without a willing and informed congress and public and considerable dialog and compormise. That is the nature of a democracy.
A desire for an enlighteed king that will take care of us is a fairy tale. Study the issues, the research, the scietific data, and especially history, history, history.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:37 am EDT
It’s gotten to the point where if anyone wants to hear a straight story rather than the same mishmash of political correctness, pandering, flip-flopping and posturing, they have to look past the Democrat and Republican candidates to independent and third-party candidates. Unfortunately, the corporate mainstream media refuses to air any voices from outside the two-party system except to call them “spoilers” and endlessly ruminate about their potential effects on the established party candidates. It’s getting worse - in recent years we’ve seen more and more candidates being excluded from debates because their campaigns haven’t raised the requisite millions of dollars. The result is predictable: the media profits, corrupt incumbents win, Americans lose.
Only free political competition, citizen participation and open debate can fulfill the promise of democracy.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am EDT
I have no TV or radio. I subscribe to no magazines or newspapers. I do, however, read a variety of online sources. If a news event is important, and if I am persistent, I can usually gather enough facts from various sites over a period of time to be able to reach my own conclusion.
Today we face a threat of censorship from both Left and Right. The biggest threat, however, is the threat of readers who have passive minds. Reaching objective conclusions–that is, conclusions drawn logically from the facts of reality–requires an active mind that employs comparing, contrasting, questioning, and all the other tools of thinking.
The solution to social problems is thus to support reason rather than mysticism in its many forms (such as faith, blindly following authorities, revelation, uncritical reading, and polls).