How the Networks Help the Democrats’ Distraction Campaign

by John Hinderaker in 2012 Election, 2012 Presidential Election, Media Bias

The Democrats have a tough assignment from now until November: every day, they have to come up with phony talking points to distract voters from the awful record of the Obama administration. I don’t think they can possibly do it, but they are putting up a game effort. And the media, especially the broadcast networks, are doing everything they can to help them by playing up every irrelevant story line that comes along. The Media Research Center provides some useful data that indicate how far the networks are willing to go to help the Democratic Party and the Obama administration:

Following Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s now infamous remarks about rape and abortion on Monday, the liberal media raced to nationalize the ensuing controversy in an attempt to damage presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
In total, the three news networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC – gave Akin’s gaffe four times the coverage they gave to Vice President Joe Biden’s overtly racist comments last week in Virginia when he told a substantially black audience that a Romney administration would, “put y’all back in chains.” The obsession with Akin gave the liberal media yet another contrived excuse to ignore Barack Obama’s terrible economic record, and cast the campaign discourse back into the sewer.
According to the Media Research Center’s analysis:

* During the first 72 hours of the Akin controversy, ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows ran a combined 40 segments totaling nearly 89 minutes of airtime compared to less than 20 minutes for Biden.
* NBC and CBS both immediately attempted to link the “firestorm” created by Akin to Romney even though his campaign openly supports rape exemptions.
* Obama’s extreme pro-abortion record – including his support for partial birth abortions – was almost entirely ignored by the networks in 2008.
* The networks have given Akin 10 times more coverage than they gave to credible allegations by Juanita Broaddrick back in 1999 that Bill Clinton actually committed rape.

Media Research President Brent Bozell reacts:

There’s no denying that what Rep. Todd Akin said was completely inappropriate, but for it to receive four times more coverage than the Vice President of the United States’ indefensibly racist gaffe is unconscionable. Todd Akin is a congressman. Joe Biden is one heartbeat from being the leader of the Free World. Once again, the media’s double standard is exposed for all to see.

…

The liberal media will do anything (except report on Biden’s unrelenting stupidity) to avoid Telling the Truth about Barack Obama’s horrendous economic record. This has been the liberal media’s playbook throughout the campaign. If it hurts Barack Obama’s chances of re-election, ignore it. If it hurts his Republican rivals, give it four times the coverage.

UPDATE: On Twitter, Dana Loesch says: “Juanita Broaddrick should speak at the RNC.” It’s a thought. I wonder whatever happened to Ms. Broaddrick. If a woman accused, say, George W. Bush of rape, do you think she would have been allowed to fade away and be forgotten?

 

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/08/how-the-networks-help-the-democrats-distraction-campaign.php