The McCain campaign has been reluctant to grant media access to Sarah Palin. She will conduct her first interview with Charlie Gibson this weekend, and hopefully more will come.The McCain staff has been extremely critical of the media reaction to Palin, with ample reason, but they are keeping the media from doing its most important function by shielding Palin.
The tactical reasons for protecting her are obvious. She is a sensation right now, driving enthusiam, poll numbers, and fundraising. There is no reason to risk all that momentum by exposing her to unscripted situations in interviews where she might commit a gaffe that would highlight her weaknesses. But the media exists in a democracy in order to flood the public with information and access so that they have the tools to make their own informed decisions. When the media is not allowed to ask legitimate questions of a fairly unknown figure like Palin, the public, and thereby the whole democracy, suffers.
Of course, this is assuming that the media, with its mixed record in this election, would carry out its task in the proper manner. It remains to be seen how they will perform in the next two months, but they will not be able to inform at all unless the McCain campaign allows us to learn more about Sarah Palin.
I agree with you in theory, however, I think we have already had a taste of how they will treat her.
Comment by Brutus — September 10, 2008 @ 7:44 am
There’s a time to fish and a time to eat. They’ll be hungry again. No Richard, she caught a big one - Obama defending his community organizer status is surely not what he really wanted to do. It makes him look small. They want the attention on him now to get the full effect. Nope. I think they’re playing it just right. As for the media, isn’t it a little late in the day to perform their role in democracy? What was that Obama love-in I just witnessed? and the I-can-hardly-wait-to-carve-and-eat-Palin? Democracy inaction.
Comment by Abu Nudnik — September 10, 2008 @ 8:42 am
Oh, c’mon. The only reason she is being hidden from the media is that she would look like a fool if actually had to answer questions in a public venue.
Comment by Seymour Paine — September 10, 2008 @ 12:00 pm