Every time I hear someone in the media say “primary season is over”, I get unreasonably excited. Like just now, when Bob opened the episode thusly and I let out an audible sigh of “thank God.” The problem is that he keeps going, his voice full of ham-fisted sarcasm. I know it’s radio, but the over-intonation is kind of a turnoff.
I should take a minute to say that ever since Bob left that comment on an old recap, I feel a little weird making fun of him. I know it’s my job and all, but I kind of feel like I’m being impolite. So Bob, if you’re still reading, I don’t mean any harm. I just call it like I hear it.
Anyway, now that we have some presumptive winners, it’s time to move on to the general election. Somehow, now that the stakes are higher, both candidates are trying to get the media to focus on more pressing issues than expensive haircuts and AARP membership. (Although, it’s been almost a week since this episode aired, and so far, the noble mission doesn’t seem to be going so well. Have you seen the coverage of Michelle Obama?)
Part of the problem is that campaign reporters don’t so much cover politics as they do campaigns, say editor Ezra Klein. When networks propose debates like ABC did last week, they’re not just wanting to inform people - they’re wanting sound bites. They also want ratings, and boring debates don’t accomplish those. Klein makes an interesting point about politics: “But sometimes the sort of meat of politics is quite boring. I’ve been to these town halls. They’re quite boring. Frankly, McCain and Obama can be quite boring.”
In short - the media has already heard all of the answers and they want something new. The problem is, voters don’t tune in until later and they need the basic info again. The candidates have all the control here - they can choose when and where to debate and someone will cover it. Though, no matter who holds the debate, the media can comment on it after it happens. This is what they’re good at, and this is what they should stick to says Klein, and I agree.
Still, all this talk of debates just makes me mourn the untimely death of Tim Russert.
On to the next part of the debate story, introduced by Brooke. I’m glad she’s back and I really want to hear her naughty Chinese journalist stories. The second half of the story is a Dickensian tale of Debates Past. Kennedy’s there, as is Nixon and Gerald Ford the Incumbent. Brooke laughingly mourns a simpler time when the debates were “real” . Alas, we do, too.
We also mourn the print news industry. We all know that the print versions of newspapers are losing money through both lower ad sales and subscriptions. Bob interviews New York Times media reporter Richard Pérez-Peña about the situation at the L.A. Times.
I know that newspapers aren’t doing so well - I work at one. Still, though, I’m getting a little tired of hearing stories about the failures of the industry that don’t mention the papers’ online components. I left this comment on the story:
“I agree that the newspaper industry isn’t doing so well. I’d like to point out though that it seems to be mostly the print editions of newspapers that are having the major problems. I’m not sure why so many traditional print journalists seem so scared to walk towards the soft fuzzy glow of new media. Newspapers should move towards becoming an information industry rather than one with a specific print product.”
It also bothers me when I hear people in the newspaper industry say that the internet is the future. Seriously, people. The internet is standad now and it isn’t as scary as it seems. It’s just unicorns driving dump trucks through a series of tubes.
While we’re on the subject of newspapers, Brooke brings us the story of the The Record of Bergen County, a New Jersey paper that recently did a bit of soul searching. A reader survey found that some readers of the paper felt that it had too liberal a bias.
After reviewing some of the complaints, Editor Frank Scandale decided to take a good look at the paper and figure out if they were actually biased. I admire a newspaper that’s willing to do this - it takes some guts. Readers also seem to be happy that the paper is examining its own practices. As one man said: “yep, you guys have a liberal paper, albeit one I have never read. How can I know this? Well, and I say this with tongue in cheek, it would never occur to a conservative paper to engage in such introspection.”
Brooke makes me adore her just a little more by commenting on how journalism is sort of liberal by nature because its practitioners are taught that a hugely important facet of their job is the ability question authority and challenge the status quo.
I recognize that it’s a little soon, but I would love to see Brooke host “Meet the Press.” After all these years, she’s still got her professional ideals, and it gives me hope that mine will also escape unscathed.
This recap was written by Kerry, a girl of many post-journalism school ideals and edited by Matthew, a man who enjoys chocolate mantous entirely too much.
photo: “Lincoln Douglas Debate” by Pantufla on Flickr
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