Has Sarah Palin gotten a fair shake in the media?
Posted at 6:00 AM on July 7, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(32 Comments)
Filed under: Politics/Government
Sarah Palin's surprise announcement over the holiday weekend that she would resign as governor of Alaska generated a flurry of speculation over her motives and fitness for high office. Her supporters suggested that she might be trying to spare her family additional exposure in the media, widely perceived as hostile to the former Republican vice presidential candidate. We'd like to know what you think: Has Sarah Palin gotten a fair shake in the media?
Sara Palin has shown an ability to make right choices with strong sound beliefs even in the midst of life's turmoil, in contrast to a fallen world. -Dale Larson, Balaton, MN
Palin has spun media coverage to her advantage, claiming to be victimized while behaving aggressively. -Aileen, Rochester, MN
Considering how unintelligent and unqualified Sarah Palin is, I think she has gotten more than a fair shake from the media. -Steve, Maple Grove, MN
I think Palin hurt herself by resigning. -Ben, Minneapolis, MN
You won't get a real answer about Palin on your station. It is dominated by democrats. -John Kidd
I just don't see how she can aspire to higher office if she can't work through the down side of her current position. -Jesse, Minneapolis, MN
I think Palin is completely incompetent and is enjoying the media attention. She has played to the media and created a lot of positive and negative attention. I shudder to think what insanity she would create as president. -Alli, MN
The media has gone after Senator Palin in a predatory & vindictive manner. It's been personal and unprofessional, which shows how bad the media has truly become. -anonymous text message
Sarah Palin is a mentor and leader for working Moms throughout the nation...if people would let her! -Kari, Sioux Falls, SD
Some people do believe that Gov. Palin was given a raw deal. Being thrust upon the national stage with little prep. That would be the fault of the Republican party and the McCain campaign, they have people don't they? Speech writers, speaking coaches, etc. Given that if i were placed on national TV and asked questions about what I read I may stammer or stutter but I could name a paper, or magazine, probably several of them, if you are well read the names should come to you almost automatically. The fact that she could name none and made the Russia comment does not make me doubt her intelligence but rather her education. -Paul Uecker, Rochester, MN
Please do not give this woman any more time and attention than she has already gotten. Her time in the spotlight has been more than fair - perhaps the media might be able to portray her differently if she would answer in a truly straightforward and honest way some of the questions posed to her. I think there remains a lot to be uncovered about this shady character; I feel the news media has treated her very gently and has neglected to uncover the facts about her cronyism and business dealings. -Vanessa Stephens Coldwater, Minneapolis, MN
Yes she has. Becoming a public official and a contentious one at that is sure to bring a greater amount of criticism than may be expected. Having been vaulted from unknown governor to "two heart-beats away" required an extra amount of scrutiny. She's a flash in the pan that will be burned out long before the next presidential election. She's about to find out what it's like to not have any attention from the press, going to guess she'll be complaining about that when it happens. -Matthew Reubendale, Minneapolis, MN
Former Gov. Palin received the correct amount of attention based on her knowledge of national issues and stump speeches. -DT Turner, Minneapolis, MN
No, but a carefully qualified "no"; while the media's strongest asset is "smarts" (that is, most journalists have a broad "liberal arts" background - something commendable, to be sure), political leaders' strongest asset is something I'd term "tempered smarts." There is no humility in the media, and while Palin might not be a paragon of humility, she was raised in a culture not unlike rural MN, where one's intellect gets used like a tool. She doesn't use it for pleasure; this doesn't mean it's not there, or that it's stunted, just that those in the media cannot understand, and thus cannot appreciate, her true spell of "motherliness." -John Schmid, St. Paul, MN
Far too fair. She lacks the know how to do her job. She has proven herself to be a less than affective leader. Mainly she fails to have a global perspective - and that is something I expect of my political leaders. She is not good at her job, and has humiliated herself far too many times, and the media really has left that alone. She's been given far too much of the benefit of the doubt. -Abbi Allan, Minneapolis, MN
Well, I would say she has. Any and all issues that have come about in the media have been of her own doing. Whether it was to the latest flub by Letterman and her complete misconstruing of it, to her complete and utter avoidance of the questions presented to her in the debates. She is the foundation to her own undoing. Give someone enough rope and they will eventually hang themselves. She was just fine as a backwater governor with little media exposure. This is the exact reason I do not want an ordinary person doing an extraordinary job. -Dana Mikkelsen, Moorhead, MN
Yes. Everything that has happened to her she brought on herself by the very nature of her hypocrisy. While claiming to support "family values" her child has her own child out of wedlock. she cannot deliver a speech to save her life, whenever she speaks publicly she manages to make no sense. She's a PTA mom that managed to get elected governor of Alaska so of course she's going to be ridiculed. -Nathaniel Swanson, Minneapolis, MN
Yes. Media did not do anything different with Sarah than any other candidate, which is pick on words, ridicule eccentricities, and overall look for any screw up possible. She knew what she was getting herself into when she joined McCain in the run for the presidency. Even though she managed to excite the very right, she is seriously out of touch with the rest of America, which is represented in the way media treated her. Perhaps if she focused more on coming off as an intelligent woman in politics and less as the "hockey mom next door" (with the worst of what the stereotype portrays), she would be viewed differently by people and by media. -Yan Kravchenko, Plymouth, MN
She has gotten more than a fair shake. She has trotted out her family for political purposes, and has invited the scrutiny that she has gotten. For instance, she is anti-choice, but then reacts poorly when the media inspects her own house with her daughter becoming pregnant (and now a spokesperson on the issue). She wanted the benefits of parading her large family to the media, but could not handle the criticisms it led to. As for the scrutiny of her personally? Being a 70+ year old cancer-survivor heartbeat away from the presidency should expect scrutiny, especially with her palling around with the secession-endorsing Alaska Ind. Party. -Matthew Pettis, Minneapolis, MN
Comments (32)
She almost never talks straight, or even says anything that means much, especially if she wants to avoid a question, and she seems to love avoiding perfectly reasonable questions.
She seems to like to twist things to play the martyr.
In fact, for such a family person, she seems to be the perfect politician in all the worst ways. Except her lack of intelligence and knowledge evidenced by the ignorant nonsense she spouts makes her too transparent, it baffles me how anyone can't see it.
And she betrayed her duties as governor of Alaska by quitting with little notice.
Does the media give her a fair shake you ask? No I don't think so, too many give her way too much credit and attention for someone so undeserving of any kind of high end political carrier.
As a Soldier who did 4 years in Iraq i am flabagasted by the very notion of Sara Palin being President of anything. I listened to your show and also think that the female on the show seemed very biased, and one-sided towards Sara Palin.
America has suffered a great deal and is still suffering the lost of American lives (today) Because of George Bush and his shortcomings. This is the wrong time to talk about how Politicians look and their charisma we should rather start thinking about engaging politicians who are intelligent and can make sound decisions that will not hurt America and its Values. I am dissapointed with the very people who think Sara Palin is that type of person who will lead us into a brither tomorrow.
Yes, since she was so nice to reveal all of her family information. What did she expect? Its obvious she didn't get the political email that if you don't want your children involved with your campaign DO NOT MENTION THEM! If so, limit their exposure and photo sessions.
Absolutely she has. I am not wavering to a liberal or conservative stance, however I am speaking from the viewpoint of somebody who watches a good amount of media coverage on TV and hears it on the radio. Sarah Palin was a very smart girl staying up in the outer reaches of American government, she killed herself by running national.
If she was not ready to be poked fun at and accused of doing less than agreeable things then she should not have gone nationally publicized. It is fact; when you are seen by a television viewing audience you WILL be made fun of-and you WILL be accused of things you may not have done or said. That's TV...that's life-GET OVER IT. Many, many people are made fun of, nobody is immune.
Of course Palin has gotten a "fair shake." She's an ignorant backwoods "Boss Hog" who wasn't smart enough to say "No" to McCain and stay off the national stage. She chose to put that spotlight on herself and her family. She now has a history of quitting elected office before her term expires. She seeks fame and power, and then complains about the consequences. What a fool!
The documented Early life of Sarah Palin is someone who is ultra religious, asked for censorship of library books, hired school friends and relatives to the city council.
perhaps Alaska is a state that is fine with the first two and even the third. But is unlikely that the natonal political culture will tolerate anyone with that background.
Many conservatives except those that are ultra right social conservatives really do not buy her credentials. A Mark Sanford or a Paul Ryan from WI would be, in my view, a great step ahead for the Republican Party.
When the going got tough She abandoned her post, which She took an oath to fulfill. I wish her well in a career outside of politics.
Compared to how the media has treated Hilary Clinton, WE were not getting a fair shake from the media - Sarah Palin got a free ride. Completely unqualified for the national political arena and the job of VP, Sarah Palin was by and large excused from answering any questions beyond her attack dog talking points - until she was asked unscripted questions by Katie Couric. Then the spin was the the interview wasn't fair. Even now, the media has done very little digging and reporting on her current legal issues. However, if you count the right-wing propaganda machine as "media", then she is still Princes Sarah.
I believe MPR has been fair to her....in general I thought Public radio did a good job covering the candidates.
On the other hand -- Prominent national media have writers asking if she's really the mother of her own child. The largest liberal blog site in the US thinks it's okay to make retard jokes because of her son. CBS edited her interviews and then looked away when their late-night host joked about her teenage daughter. Major newspapers reported rumors from anonymous sources that turned out to be false (book bannings, firings) that other media picked up on anyway, and few retractions were posted.
Ask critical questions. Wonder aloud why she resigned. Press her on experience. Pontificate on if she was a good pick or if she downed the team. Research her life and history. Just please figure out the difference between reporting fact and spreading rumors. The newsroom at major news centers shouldn't be trolling comments on Kos and Fark for scoops -- and people shouldn't be reporting them without good evidence (and irate bloggers from Alaska who file frivolous ethics complaints aren't exactly credible)
Around the end of the campaigning, Linda Bloodworth-Thomasan, no friend to the GOP, decried the coverage of Sarah Palin as sickening. Reading comments on here that make jokes about violence against her and speak in terms of fear about her seem to support Bloodworth-Thomasan's opinion. It's a cliche but it holds: "It's not misogyny when we do it."
I love this feature!
The media has not been hard enough on Sarah Palin. I agree with the vociferous criticisms of Palin that Andrew Sullivan has put forward: Palin is intellectually shallow, cloying, thin-skinned, and uninformed, and therefore unworthy of being a legitimate candidate for the executive branch. In quitting the office for which her constituents elected her (Governor of Alaska), she has shown that she couldn't take the kid gloves that the media handled her with. Other than the disastrous interviews with Katie Couric and Charles Gibson, when has Palin submitted to a critical interview? If anything, the criticism of her has been from tabloids, while reputable media outlets rightly debate Palin as a conservative-movement phenomenon, not on the basis of her ideas (does she have any?). In fact, her crying-wolf act shows that she can't even differentiate the National Enquirer from the New York Times.
I'd sooner vote for Tina Fey than I would vote for Sarah Palin.
Yes. Gov. Palin would do well to take responsibility for her stumbles. I don't agree with those who question her intelligence. Her problems stem from mental laziness. She could have done the hard work of studying the issues. And even a small amount of inquisitiveness could have given her something more than a childlike view of the world. The media didn't put the embarrassing words in her mouth. On the contrary, we owe journalists like Katie Couric and David Brooks our appreciation for giving voters the information they needed.
I don't see that "the media" considers giving someone a fair shake even remotely their duty. Most of what we hear and see is directed towards generating revenue for the media companies, so the more outrageous or opinionated the better, as far as they're concerned.
That said, Sarah Palin hasn't given herself a fair shake, and probably shouldn't have ever gotten onto the national scene in the first place. I've never witnessed a more inappropriate candidate for executive office in my life.
A good many ill prepared, poorly fitting, outgunned public servants would self edit and avoid humiliation, but not our Sarah. She is, in my opinion, the Peter Principle exemplified.
Does she deserve what she's gotten? No one deserves any kind of abuse. But no adult holding office of any sort is all that naive to how the media works either, so to a large extent I think she's got a pretty strong hand in her own demise.
In every national interview and debate, she was treated no differently than any other candidate. Was she a focus for criticism? Absolutely, but so were all of the candidates. Sarah Palin is a frightening representative of the "other" America, that unfortunately holds her in great esteem.
During the presidential race, Sarah Palin was given opportunities to present herself as someone who is ready to be in the national spotlight and under national scrutiny. Sarah's ineptness for this national stage came through clearly with her various interviews.
Since then, Sarah has not done any better. It has all been her doing, however. Sarah had ample opportunities to control how she came off to the public, only to end up wasting how she presented herself. Sarah's poor image is the bed she made, not the media.
Has she gotten a fair shake from the media? Well, let's see - she ran for Vice President, refused legitimate interview requests, made herself unavailable, but turned around to use the conservative media every chance she got. The more she displayed her unfitness for office, the more she whined that it was the media's fault.
I think she has gotten about what she deserves - she appears to be incredibly thin-skinned and her empty threats to sue bloggers for their posts shows the contempt she has for free speech - when it involves speaking negatively about her. I'm shocked that people find her "folksy" style and blue collar roots to offset her complete lack of hard work she needed to learn about the issues. You don't have to attend Ivy League schools to learn that you need more than fluff to impress the audience.
She's had more than her share of time in the spotlight, and I'd be happy to see her fade away.
Absolutely not. Governor Palin would clearly have had the fortitude and wearwithal to finish her first and only term in office if the rabid, leftist media had not ceaselessly and mercilessly savaged her political astuteness, profound wit, brilliant understanding of foreign and domestic policy, broad executive resume, unblemished administrative record and keen sense of what it means to represent all members of a diverse society.
She is clearly not skilled in dealing with the media. That is not the fault of the media. That is her fault. But, the is clearly looking for everything bad it can find to "cut" and "paste" on her.
Just as Obama automatically can do no wrong in the eyes of the media, Sara Palin can automatically do nothing right.
Its not that meaningful to make a blanket statement about her treatment. Certainly she has been treated gently, mistreated and many shades in between. I think its more interesting to consider whether or not she understands and can successfully navigate the world of a high profile politician with poise and clear purpose. In that regard I don't think she has fared so well. She seems at once, willing to use her considerable profile to advance opinions and then be surprised or even offended that others might disagree or press her for clarification when she seems unclear. While I don't envy what must be a very stressful way to be in the world, she is after all, making her own choices.
I wish someone would shake her just a little bit harder!
The coverage given Sarah Palin has been more than fair, and she should stop the self-pity about it. She has been shown to be no more than a poorly memorized, badly repeated cliche or sound bite deep on any national topic. She has pushed her family on stage with her and boasted of her "family values", but cried foul when the coverage became unflattering to that image. If she were not (in some peoples' opinions) an attractive woman, she would still be mooshing things up on the Wasilla town council.
No. Both Govenor Palin and Secretary Clinton got a raw deal in the media. I'm not a feminist by any stretch of imagination and I hesitate to make any statement making women out to be victims of the media. Unfortunately, this election cycle taught me that female politicians on the national scale, from both parties, face derision beyond the typical dirty back and forth in American politics. Either you're a mindless, cheerleader/bimbo or shrill and unstable. Before I or any other woman considers politics, we better be ready to grow a thicker skin than our male counterparts.
"The vice-president is the leader of the senate?" "Department of Law?" She's not a quitter but she's quitting? She mocks Obamas work as a community organizer? She ran for vice-president and amid these and other bizarre actions and words the media is supposed to IGNORE her? She hasn't been given ENOUGH scrutiny. This is a self-serving lout who has USED the media to her ugly advantage.
Has she been treated fairly? Is this a serious question? The woman was picked from obscurity by a desperate presidential candidate to be his running mate, and since then she has milked her newfound fame every chance she gets. She would think it unfair if the media ever decided to ignore her - but don't worry, Sarah, they never will. The media loves a train wreck.
She was treated very well because she is a Woman!! The liberal media was afraid to be too critical of her and be accused of beating up on a woman. And bringing the ire of liberal feminists.
Yes she has. I am not sure why she feels otherwise, especially since her words and actions seem obviously intended to attract attention to herself. If that has not been the intention, then she sure has fooled many.
I think the negative attention the media has put on the issues concerning her family were a little useless. But at the same time, Palin's record is what really makes her who she is and if her record really doesn't have anything upstanding, then a fair shake is what she's got. The only reason the woman is so popular is the fact that she makes herself a very easy target for scrutiny.
Sara has been treated with kid gloves. She is a quitter. She cannot stand the heat of public opinion and should stay out of the kitchen.
Of course she got a fair shake. In fact, she got a free ride until her Couric interviews and the public and media realized she didn't have a clue what she was doing. Ever since she has injected herself into different situations and manufactured controversies to keep herself in the news.
Yes, she has. Even after Sarah Palin is heard speaking incomprehensibly, we still get people in the media, or her supporters reported in the media, trying to put rational meaning to her gibberish! I don't think anyone else in her position would be treated any differently, given her behavior.
Sarah Palin has received TOO MUCH attention from the media -- and that's the way she likes it. It's about time we all turn our backs on her. We have all known from the start that she has nothing to offer.
Complaining about unfair treatment is as old an independent press. I seem to recall an eccentric, flamboyant Governor of Minnesota who constantly whined about being abused by the media simply because he wanted to be reincarnated as a brassiere.
Is Gov Palin being treated unfairly? Only if reporting on inconsistent and sometimes bizarre statements and behavior should be considered off bounds.
Sarah Palin was happy to take many thousands of dollars to enhance her wardrobe and look better at donor's expense. She attacked Obama as un-American, as extremist, had plenty of judgements on democrats as a whole. As an English major, I cringed at her rambling, incoherent speeches and newly created words. When she gave a dumb, dumb interview with Katie Couric, she complained about being attacked, complained she wasn't given a fair shake or was manipulated. All the press needs to do is let her speak for herself and it becomes crystal clear how dingy she really is, and how very incapable of running a state, much less a country, Sarah Palin is. The press is only responsible for showing who she really is!
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