The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

Apparently, the media are not allowed to point out ridiculousness in news; instead, they must treat both substantial political discourse and paltry mud-slinging equally. At least, that's what the Media Research Center says. They accused World News host Charlie Gibson of bias during his interviews of McCain and Obama aboard the ABC News bus for broadcasts on Wednesday and Thursday (http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2008/cyb20081010.asp#1). MRC claimed that Gibson treated McCain unfairly since he let Obama address the Ayers controversy while asking McCain about the economy and implied that the Ayers controversy should not be a focus of his campaign so close to the election.

Gibson is certainly not the poster-boy for strong journalism and hard-hitting questions; to the contrary, his coverage of the presidential election has been generally superficial and sophomoric. However, he was justified in asking a candidate about a largely falsified rumor about him, especially when that rumor is based on something as irrelevant as an acquaintance's former violent activities. The media should not perpetuate coverage of such silly stories, because that might actually help further the mud-slinging campaign. However, each side should be given a chance to defend themselves against such rumors. The public has already heard the version of the Ayers story from Palin and McCain; now, it's time for Obama to say his opinion on the matter. Therefore, Gibson would have been negligent to avoid the Ayers issue during his bus ride with Obama. Ironically, the conservative MRC criticizes journalists for bringing up a rumor that their own party originated. It seems as though they jump for joy when misleading information is covered in the mainstream media, but they squirm when Democrats are actually given a chance to discredit the rumors.

Additionally, MRC criticized Gibson for posing an apparently "obvious" question about the economy to McCain. The economy might be an "obvious" topic of discussion, but aren't journalists supposed to address the most important issues of the modern world? The economy is a source of utmost concern to many Americans, and the person hoping to run a nation should have to discuss how he plans to ameliorate the financial crisis plaguing that nation. Gibson essentially told McCain that the Ayers controversy should not be dominating headlines at this point in the campaign, which is a valid critique of the Republican strategy. Instead, as shown through Gibson's subsequent questions, the candidates should focus on actual policy issues. A refusal to play into the vicious cycle of mud-slinging is not evidence of media bias; rather, it is a rare example of substantive journalism.