Opinion: If he’s a journalist, he must be in the tank for Obama
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The other day I was doing the reporting for an editorial* on John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s economic policies, part of a series we’re doing called ‘Position papers for the Next President.’ I haven’t been covering the campaign, so I didn’t have phone numbers for McCain’s or Obama’s media people. I found a number for McCain’s headquarters on his website (By the way, what happened to the chipper welcome-screen video from Sarah Palin? That space has nothing but McCain biographies now!), but Obama’s offered only a form for reporters to fill out to solicit answers. So I submitted the form. McCain’s people set me up fairly quickly with a policy person, but I didn’t hear back from Obama’s campaign (I eventually tracked down a press aide in California, but he didn’t connect me with anyone on Obama’s policy team, either). The next evening I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign (Download you own copy!) welcoming me to the fold. Evidently, by indicating that I was a member of the media, I identified myself to the campaign as a supporter. Makes sense, non? Media=liberal=ready to go to work for Barack! Keep reading to see the opening sentences from the e-mail: |
Dear Jon, Thanks for joining this movement. It will take all of us working together to bring change to this country, and we wanted to make sure you know about all the opportunities to get involved in your community and online. Check out the resources below -- learn how you can connect with fellow supporters, organize in your neighborhood, build our national grassroots organization, and stay informed with the very latest campaign news.
It’s so nice to be wanted, and yet I kinda feel like I’m being taken for granted.... Anyway, my colleagues and I on the board remain officially neutral, at least until we endorse McCain, Obama or someone else this weekend.
* Yes, editorial writers actually do reporting, but we don’t necessarily use the information to shape our opinions. In fact, we try to make up our minds first because it makes the whole process go faster.