Sarah Palin speaks out about media coverage

[Elduardo]

Full article here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=6611536&page=1

Whomever you supported in the Presidential election, it's fairly safe to say that media coverage of Sarah Palin was unfair at best and borderline corrupt at worst.

Almost immediately there were questions in the media about whether she could be a mother and VP at the same time. Never heard similar concerns about Hillary Clinton.

The most reprehensible, of course, was the speculation that Palin's son Trig was actually the son of her teenage daughter. This was based on reporting from vile, gutter-sniping websites and was not supported by any facts.

There were other things that were reported but those were the most offensive to me.

As for the "why", the media clearly was supportive of Obama's candidacy, (refer to the thrill up Chris Matthews' leg), and was also unhappy with a pro-life female who walked the walk.

It's clear that media standards in this country are near collapse, making it very difficult for average people to get an objective news report. The Sarah Palin treatment is one example.

[Searcher]

The coverage of all the candidates showed them for what they are. Deal with it.

[Grendel]

Almost immediately there were questions in the media about whether she could be a mother and VP at the same time. Never heard similar concerns about Hillary Clinton.What major media outlets ran with that line of questioning for any amount of time, let alone "almost immediately?" The immediate reaction was a frantic rush to get any information on her, whatsoever.


The most reprehensible, of course, was the speculation that Palin's son Trig was actually the son of her teenage daughter. This was based on reporting from vile, gutter-sniping websites and was not supported by any facts.Again, what media outlets ran with that? It was blog-spread trash, yes, and it was immediately followed by the McCain/Palin camp announcing her daughter's pregnancy.

Frankly, the airtime and ink that was devoted to debunked William Ayers smears, Michelle Obama's level of pride in her country, and Obama's Pledge of Allegiance decorum dwarfed any discussion of Palin's mother/career juggling or her child's parentage.

Palin's biggest media problem was of her own creation, stemming from her campaign's obsession with keeping her under wraps--most damningly (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/palin-media-a-2.html) with an insistence on "deference"--compounded by her own ill-prepared appearances which made her look utterly ridiculous...without anyone else's help.

[Lemmywinks]

Palin's biggest media problem was of her own creation, stemming from her campaign's obsession with keeping her under wraps--most damningly (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/palin-media-a-2.html) with an insistence on "deference"--compounded by her own ill-prepared appearances which made her look utterly ridiculous...without anyone else's help.

I couldn't agree more.

[WarBeast]

The Caribou Barbie did a mighty fine job of making herself look like a dingdong without any help from bloggers or corrupt media... Hell, My dad and my brother are both staunch republicans and they both voted third party primarily because they were as disgusted with the Rep ticket as they were the Dem ticket... and Palin was one of the main reasons why.

[Luris Blear]

Any of the left-wingers did by and large what they should have been doing -- aside from the conspiracy theories about the babies.

What surprised me more was tuning into the usual right-wing outlets and hearing little about her. "She walks the walk," was spoken too often, like they couldn't find anything new to say on her behalf.

This is also a woman who pardoned a turkey then did a news interview in front of the mechanism that a second turkey was being slaughtered on. Social graces were not her field of expertise.

I voted for "Palin and that Other Guy." I liked a great deal of her policy. The religious aspects did bother me, but I also felt confident that those would be kept in check very, very easily.

I think she owes a lot to herself and to what should have been her best supporters in the media as well. The Democrat-aligned left went after her, but the bulk of the right let her down.

[WarBeast]

Any of the left-wingers did by and large what they should have been doing -- aside from the conspiracy theories about the babies.

What surprised me more was tuning into the usual right-wing outlets and hearing little about her. "She walks the walk," was spoken too often, like they couldn't find anything new to say on her behalf.

This is also a woman who pardoned a turkey then did a news interview in front of the mechanism that a second turkey was being slaughtered on. Social graces were not her field of expertise.

I voted for "Palin and that Other Guy." I liked a great deal of her policy. The religious aspects did bother me, but I also felt confident that those would be kept in check very, very easily.

I think she owes a lot to herself and to what should have been her best supporters in the media as well. The Democrat-aligned left went after her, but the bulk of the right let her down.

Did you have a "Vote For MILF" shirt? :D

[Luris Blear]

Nope.

[Elduardo]

What major media outlets ran with that line of questioning for any amount of time, let alone "almost immediately?" The immediate reaction was a frantic rush to get any information on her, whatsoever.

Again, what media outlets ran with that? It was blog-spread trash, yes, and it was immediately followed by the McCain/Palin camp announcing her daughter's pregnancy.


What I saw on both was on CNN. I don't read the vile left wing blogs. Or right wing blogs for that matter.



Frankly, the airtime and ink that was devoted to debunked William Ayers smears, Michelle Obama's level of pride in her country, and Obama's Pledge of Allegiance decorum dwarfed any discussion of Palin's mother/career juggling or her child's parentage.

Debunked William Ayers smears? First of all they weren't smears and if Obama had ever answered the question honestly then it wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Quick fact check:
1) William Ayers is an unapolagetic terrorist who got off on a technicality.
2) Obama had ties with the man. Ayers held a political dinner at his home in Obama's honor. Obama wrote a blurb for Ayers' book. Obama served on a board with Ayers.
3) Obama downplayed and was not completely honest about his ties with Ayers.

Does this mean that Obama supports Ayers crimes? Clearly not. But, like it or not, Obama racked up a pretty good list of curious acquaintances from Ayers to Wright to Rezko. These were legitimate questions to be asked about his associations, not smears.

As for Michelle Obama, those were her own words about being proud of her country for the first time in her life. If that's the way she feels, then fine, but it's still a legitimate question about what she meant and not a smear.

I don't know about the Obama pledge of allegiance thing so I won't comment.

For you to compare these questions about Obama to outright lies about a teenage girl who is not running for office is mind boggling.

And even if these were smears, it's not acceptable to justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. If lies were told about Obama then those should be condemmed as well.



Palin's biggest media problem was of her own creation, stemming from her campaign's obsession with keeping her under wraps--most damningly (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/palin-media-a-2.html) with an insistence on "deference"--compounded by her own ill-prepared appearances which made her look utterly ridiculous...without anyone else's help.

Clearly the McCain camp mishandled Palin but I would say she was over-prepared. People like Biden, McCain, Obama, etc have been preparing for elections like this for years.

Whether or not you support Palin, she did not deserve to be demonized by the media and treated in such an unfair way. If you look at the Katie Couric interview, right off the bat Couric would not accept Palin's answers about her views on abortion. She kept re-asking and hammering away on the topic when Palin had clearly answered the question.

Where was the demonization of Joe Biden when he did the following:
1) "Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs." --Joe Biden

2) "When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened." –Joe Biden, apparently unaware that FDR wasn't president when the stock market crashed in 1929 and that only experimental TV sets were in use at that time.

3) Mis-stating the role of the VP in the debate with Palin and getting wrong the part of the Constitution that specifies VP responsibilities.

4) Or how about this racial slur by Biden:

“In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”


5) This is my favorite, check the video on YouTube if you haven't seen it:
"Stand up, Chuck, let 'em see ya." –-Joe Biden, to Missouri state Sen. Chuck Graham, who is in a wheelchair, Columbia, Missouri, Sept. 12, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2mzbuRgnI4


-------------

I don't think Palin was the right choice for VP but it's clear that the media did not give her a fair chance because of the pro-Obama sentiment, her pro-life views, etc.

[Searcher]

Your argument is so bad and full of holes I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Let's say you're not.


As for Michelle Obama, those were her own words about being proud of her country for the first time in her life. If that's the way she feels, then fine, but it's still a legitimate question about what she meant and not a smear.

Let's start with this, the actual quote is ...for the first time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of my country.
The word really is important here, proven over and over in the way that people like you continue to leave it out.

William Ayers was a war protester who protested the war in the way a few others did it; like an idiot. Bombing government buildings and statues goes way too far to be condoned under the umbrella of civil disobediance, but that's what it was. And to try to paint him with the same brush one would paint the IRA, just for the sake of getting some of that very same paint on Obama is incredibly irresponsible, and just goes to show the extent a very bitter and desperate right wing thinker will go.

I'll grant you that I come from a very blue state, but everyone I talk to, friend or stranger thinks Palin is a condescending, self-righteous joke. Because that's what she is. The media zeroed in on her as much as anyone else.

[Luris Blear]

Sometimes the condescending thing gets to me. I think a lot of people can confuse self-sufficient with condescending.

But I also stand by what I said earlier; neither she nor the right wing as a whole made an adequate effort to present her in her best light.

[Elduardo]

Your argument is so bad and full of holes I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Let's say you're not.


So, my arguement had nothing to do with Michelle Obama or William Ayers. I responded to Grendel referencing those topics. My arguement was not about Palin being qualified or unqualified, condescending or not condescending.

The point of this for me was the unfair media reporting about Palin regarding her ability to be VP and a mother at the same time and the vile speculation that her son was actually not really hers but her daughters. Those points remain uncontested in this thread.



Let's start with this, the actual quote is ...for the first time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of my country.
The word really is important here, proven over and over in the way that people like you continue to leave it out.


Since you brought it up you should check this YouTube clip of the 2 speeches that Michelle Obama gave on Feb 18, 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjR81pFJI4

In the first, in Milwaukee, WI, she says it's the first time in her adult life that she is "proud" of her country. Later in the day in Madison WI she adds the word "really".

So maybe she clarified it or whatever, the point is not to demonize Michelle Obama but it is a valid question when the potential first lady makes such a comment.
[/quote]



William Ayers was a war protester who protested the war in the way a few others did it; like an idiot. Bombing government buildings and statues goes way too far to be condoned under the umbrella of civil disobediance, but that's what it was. And to try to paint him with the same brush one would paint the IRA, just for the sake of getting some of that very same paint on Obama is incredibly irresponsible, and just goes to show the extent a very bitter and desperate right wing thinker will go.

Interesting take on Ayers' activity. The man's comments after 9/11 when he asked if he regretted his actions he said that he "wished they had done more".

Again, valid to question Obama about his associations. No conclusions were drawn by me.



I'll grant you that I come from a very blue state, but everyone I talk to, friend or stranger thinks Palin is a condescending, self-righteous joke. Because that's what she is. The media zeroed in on her as much as anyone else.
[/quote]

So I said it in the Panetta thread, I'll say it again here. It's interesting that you mention Palin as condescending when you made a condescending, insulting comment in the Panetta thread and 2 personal insults in your latest post in this discussion.

I'm not interested in disrespectful discussion so if you're not up for keeping it civil then I'd appreciate if you would not participate in discussions with me.

[Searcher]

If you can't take the heat...

If you think an attack on conservatism is insulting because you're one, I'll say sorry about your luck. If you mistake an attack on conservatism as a personal attack I'll say get over yourself.

Ayers said in 2001 that he didn't do enough to stop the war, not blow things up. Because the war went on and on. Sounds like Ayers needs to get over himself.

Michelle said something perfectly understandable. What in the fucking world do americans have to be proud of concerning the issue of race going back 400 years? America just lets them out of the cellar forty years ago. Forty years, that's not exactly ancient history. Millions of americans are still alive to remember segregation. The election of Obama is going to go a long way to remedy the stigma attached to that history.
What kills me is that conservative people have the raw nerve to question the patriotism of black people who continue to feel the sting of that stigma, and are now expressing the idea that it may finally be wearing away.
The first lady making such a comment? Damn straight. She should say it again.
I'm just happy that the action painting of Obama in the color of an IRA terrorist and the demonizing of his patriotism through his wife was trasparent enough.

As far as contesting the news questioning Palins abilities as a mother and vp or her kids real parent, it contests itself. It was a non-issue out of the gate swept aside by the hundreds of other stories that the media jumps on. Nobody cares, exept people trying to blame the results of the election on the liberal bush hating obama loving media.

[Elduardo]

If you can't take the heat...

If you think an attack on conservatism is insulting because you're one, I'll say sorry about your luck. If you mistake an attack on conservatism as a personal attack I'll say get over yourself.

No I think your comments demeaning someone's opintion based on your view of their ideology or their intelligence is unacceptable in this fourm.



Ayers said in 2001 that he didn't do enough to stop the war, not blow things up. Because the war went on and on. Sounds like Ayers needs to get over himself.

He was asked if he regretted the bombings or felt remorse and he replied that he wished he had done more. Pretty clear to me. Never has he apologized or expressed remorse for the violent actions.



Michelle said something perfectly understandable. What in the fucking world do americans have to be proud of concerning the issue of race going back 400 years? America just lets them out of the cellar forty years ago. Forty years, that's not exactly ancient history.

She never said anything about being proud with respect to race. She just said, being proud in general. Again, she can clarify her remarks as to what she meant but the idea that it's invalid to question someone on such a comment is not valid.



What kills me is that conservative people have the raw nerve to question the patriotism of black people who continue to feel the sting of that stigma, and are now expressing the idea that it may finally be wearing away.
The first lady making such a comment? Damn straight. She should say it again.

Never heard me question anyone's patriotism. Questioned what she meant about being proud of her country and wondered about her views on America. Valid an fair questions. Would accept her responses if any were given.



I'm just happy that the action painting of Obama in the color of an IRA terrorist and the demonizing of his patriotism through his wife was trasparent enough.


Never questioned Obamas patriotism or called him a terrorist. Never brought up Ayers or Michelle Obama at all. However, it is perfectly valid to question Obama or any candidate on their associations and to wonder why a candidate appears to not be completely up-front about the extent of those associations.

If there is concern that there were not enough questions asked during the past 8 years I would think we would want to ensure that the questions are asked moving forward and not just simply blindly accept Obama because of the party he belongs to.



As far as contesting the news questioning Palins abilities as a mother and vp or her kids real parent, it contests itself. It was a non-issue out of the gate swept aside by the hundreds of other stories that the media jumps on. Nobody cares, exept people trying to blame the results of the election on the liberal bush hating obama loving media.
Never said anything about election results. Commented on the treatment of Palin by the media with respect to borderline sexist questions about her role of mother and the mainstream media picking up rumors from vile websites about her family situation.

My opinion is that the pro-choice media is threatened by the potential of a female candidate entering the national mainstream who not only opposes abortion, actually walks the walk by raising a child with a severe birth disability and not rushing her teenage daughter off to have an abortion.

[Searcher]

Contradiction #1


Never heard me question anyone's patriotism. Questioned what she meant about being proud of her country and wondered about her views on America. Valid an fair questions. Would accept her responses if any were given.


She never said anything about being proud with respect to race. She just said, being proud in general. Again, she can clarify her remarks as to what she meant but the idea that it's invalid to question someone on such a comment is not valid.

The fact that one would need to question that comment is rediculous. She's black, the presidential nominee is black. Blacks have been brutally oppressed in this country for 400 years. Do you really need an outside party to do the math for you? Everybody in America who's even half awake knows exactly what she means. Yet people on the right would like to insinuate that she's unpatriotic, which is exactly wht they're doing by pretending to not know what she meant. By acting like there must be something else. It's disgraceful.

Contradiction #2


Never said anything about election results. Commented on the treatment of Palin by the media with respect to borderline sexist questions about her role of mother and the mainstream media picking up rumors from vile websites about her family situation.

My opinion is that the pro-choice media is threatened by the potential of a female candidate entering the national mainstream who not only opposes abortion, actually walks the walk by raising a child with a severe birth disability and not rushing her teenage daughter off to have an abortion.

Just by making a comment such as this you're saying something about election results. You're saying loud and clear that the election was swung, in part, by a pro-choice, pro obama anti-right left wing media. Which, of cource, is rediculous.

Nobody is saying don't ask the question, but how about some valid ones?

And as far as Palin and her parenting skills, isn't she the candidate who's party stands firm on the side of teaching abstinence? I wouldn't call Sarah the poster mom of 'abstinence only' success. I wonder which excuse is more convenient, abstinence only doesn't work or holding office was too taxing on her ability to raise children?

[Elduardo]

Contradiction #1

The fact that one would need to question that comment is rediculous. She's black, the presidential nominee is black. Blacks have been brutally oppressed in this country for 400 years. Do you really need an outside party to do the math for you? Everybody in America who's even half awake knows exactly what she means. Yet people on the right would like to insinuate that she's unpatriotic, which is exactly wht they're doing by pretending to not know what she meant. By acting like there must be something else. It's disgraceful.


Again, never said nor do I believe that Michelle or Barack Obama is unpatriotic. Never said that there must be something else. I only know what people tell me.



Contradiction #2

Just by making a comment such as this you're saying something about election results. You're saying loud and clear that the election was swung, in part, by a pro-choice, pro obama anti-right left wing media. Which, of cource, is rediculous.

Nobody is saying don't ask the question, but how about some valid ones?


If I meant to say that I felt the election was swayed by the media I would have stated it clearly. Post is about media coverage and media standards. I have no problem with the election or it's results.



And as far as Palin and her parenting skills, isn't she the candidate who's party stands firm on the side of teaching abstinence? I wouldn't call Sarah the poster mom of 'abstinence only' success. I wonder which excuse is more convenient, abstinence only doesn't work or holding office was too taxing on her ability to raise children?

Okay so because Sarah Palin's daughter got pregnant she is some kind of hypocrite or ineffective parent? Not sure what your experience with children is but sometimes they do what they want despite what they are taught and sometimes people just make mistakes.

[Grendel]

For you to compare these questions about Obama to outright lies about a teenage girl who is not running for office is mind boggling.

And even if these were smears, it's not acceptable to justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. If lies were told about Obama then those should be condemmed as well.I'm comparing the coverage to illustrate that what you seem to portray to be a primary focus of the media was anything but, in addition to the fact that the media that was so "clearly supportive" of Obama's campaign spent an incredible amount of time on scurrilous inanities that had nothing to do with his candidacy.

[Searcher]

Okay so because Sarah Palin's daughter got pregnant she is some kind of hypocrite or ineffective parent?

Yes, hypocrite or inefective parent is the only choice she left for herself. She dares to impune the efforts of the safe sex crowd and endorse abstinence while behind the scenes her 16-17 year old daughter is is doing neither.



Not sure what your experience with children is but sometimes they do what they want despite what they are taught and sometimes people just make mistakes.

Exactly why teaching some alternitive methods along with abstinence first is a good idea.
Plus, the first chick I did it with came from a very strict Catholic abstinence or eternal damnation family. She scrumped her way through high school.

[Elduardo]

Thankfully President-elect Obama had the class to clearly state that comments about family members was not acceptable.

[slimeisacharacter]

Media reaction would not have been as it was if the public was not a collective of gossip whores and the two parties (perhaps not the runners, but members of the parties nonetheless) did not feed the frenzy.

The media is what we made it, T.V. and blogs... Frankie's monster situation.

[RIP]

Whomever you supported in the Presidential election, it's fairly safe to say that media coverage of Sarah Palin was unfair at best and borderline corrupt at worst.

I disagree. (Big surprise right?)

Palin claimed from the onset that she was being attacked by the media as being "unqualified" simply because she was not a member of the Washington elite. McCain springs an unknown on the people of this country, and then refuses to let the media do their jobs so that the citizenry can cast an informed vote. The GOP wanted questions like "how well did John McCain know her" and "Where does she stand on the issues" to be replaced with human interest softballs about her high school basketball team and mooseburgers. Questions about her support for massive pork barrel projects like the 'bridge to nowhere' (before she claimed she opposed it) and an ongoing investigation regarding her actions as governor were called unfair and biased.



Almost immediately there were questions in the media about whether she could be a mother and VP at the same time. Never heard similar concerns about Hillary Clinton.

Palin has five kids...a teenage son about to deploy to Iraq...a pregnant teenage daughter...and an infant with Down syndrome. The question is a fair one, especially when you consider that any one of those things alone would be a trying situation for ANY parent.

She paraded her family on stage at every possible chance, holding up baby Trig, and dressed them up in expensive clothing to look the part...but wanted them to remain off-limits? She wanted the media to report on her son who would soon be deployed to Iraq by making it part of her campaign speeches, but her pregnant teenage daughter is off-limits? I couldn't disagree more. Even if Palin 'walks the walk' as you put it, as an American, I want to hear her response. I want her to explain why 'abstinence only' is a good thing even though it failed her daughter. I want to know how she plans to balance all of those things should she become president six weeks after McCain is elected.

As for Hilary Clinton, she complained of sexist media coverage during the primary, but I suppose she's been in the spotlight long enough that she shouldn't complain? Certainly no one on the right took exception. But boy they sure took exception to the media coverage of Palin, and Palin turned it into a rallying cry. Furthermore, Chelsea Clinton was 12 when Bill was elected, and an only child. More importantly, Hillary was not the VP as Palin sought to be. I certainly don't recall any such line of questioning, but I'll bet you a pretty penny that Hillary was asked how she planned to balance motherhood with being first lady. This time around Chelsea is a grown woman so the question becomes irrelevant.

I would submit to you that media outlets were caught off guard by McCain's surprise selection, and they had to fight like mad to get caught up. Given the amount of time left in the campaign, it was inevitable, and it exacerbated the problem. Palin's refusal to talk with reporters (and her ill-prepared and unqualified responses when she finally did) created the perception that the media was piling on. Now she is lashing out.

[Elduardo]

I think overall you make some good points, RIP. I wasn't really concerned about the questions about her qualifications because I think all persons seeking public office should be thoroughly questioned about their qualifications, positions, plans, associations, etc. I don't think Obama was questioned enough but that's a different argument.

I understand that Palin has 5 kids but if she were male I doubt she would have faced those questions.

As for the clothing, you know the RNC pays for all that and makes those decisions, not the candidate.

I didn't see sexist coverage around Hillary, I definitely think she was much more thoroughly questioned by the press than Obama was. Did you get a little uncomfortable at all when Obama started banning reporters from certain media outlets that asked Obama or Biden tough questions?

I agree that the media were perhaps caught off guard as you say and Palin came on strong at the beginning but it still doesn't excuse the reporting that I indicated in the original post, especially the vile speculation about her son.

[RIP]

I agree that the media were perhaps caught off guard as you say and Palin came on strong at the beginning but it still doesn't excuse the reporting that I indicated in the original post, especially the vile speculation about her son.

I agree with you, that was some fairly ridiculous tabloid trash. But, I don't recall seeing that reported in anything reputable. Perhaps you saw something I didn't. I think Grendel touched on this earlier, and I agree. You can't point to something on Drudge or Daily Kos and use it to paint with a wide brush of the entire media establishment. That doesn't mean that there isn't some good reporting there as well, but there is a lot of garbage too.

A lot of people do not check or read these online sources, and therefore only hear about the shoddy reporting and tabloid trash when people like O'reilly (for example) starting lumping it in with 'the media'. It isn't the media.

[H78]

Nah, Palin made herself look like an idiot.

For all of the negative exposure she gained there was equal exposure, time and time again, of McCain's "heroic" past. I was going to jump off the Tobin Bridge if I had to hear one more POW story out of the media/McCain camp.

E, Palin is what she is; a horribly ill-prepared politician who couldn't handle the spotlight. People gave her the benefit of a doubt at first - they loved her when McCain first announced her. It was only after several weeks that people began to question her legitimacy, and that was of Palin and the McCain camp's own doing.

McCain gambled by selecting Palin in an attempt to net some disgruntled Clinton voters. Palin's experience didn't matter to him, only her gender. There were dozens, if not hundreds of better options for McCain to choose to staple to his side. However, he elected to go with someone that he thought could influence voters that were upset about the circumstances surrounding the Democratic primary. Unfortunately, Palin's experience is what ultimately mattered to voters.

As an aside, I'm pretty tired of the argument that the media is what drives liberal success. If that was the case, John Kerry would have won in 2004 when voters knew full well that George W. Bush was tearing this country apart. Bush still won, however, because despite anything the media reported, and despite Bush's failures, people felt he was the only candidate who could pull this country out of the Iraqi War.

McCain blew the 2008 election with his selection of Palin. It's not the media's fault, Obama's fault or the voters' fault - it's all McCain's.

[Elduardo]

I agree with you, that was some fairly ridiculous tabloid trash. But, I don't recall seeing that reported in anything reputable. Perhaps you saw something I didn't. I think Grendel touched on this earlier, and I agree. You can't point to something on Drudge or Daily Kos and use it to paint with a wide brush of the entire media establishment. That doesn't mean that there isn't some good reporting there as well, but there is a lot of garbage too.

A lot of people do not check or read these online sources, and therefore only hear about the shoddy reporting and tabloid trash when people like O'reilly (for example) starting lumping it in with 'the media'. It isn't the media.

Understood, I did see it on network news but I can't prove it.