Last week, the New York Times reported that the three major network news anchors — Brian Williams, Charles Gibson and Katie Couric — would be accompanying Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on his current trip overseas. Immediately, the conservative Media Research Center screamed “liberal bias,” calling it “slavish adoration” of Obama, adding that it is “outrageous” that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) didn’t get the same treatment.
Naturally, the right wing media latched on and have continued their outrage. Some examples:
– Glenn Beck: And there’s no media bias with the three anchors that are following [Obama] …John McCain has gone to foreign countries three times in the last four months. I don’t remember any of them being there. [CNN, 7/21/08]
– Mort Kondracke: Look, you would think that that the media would at least try to demonstrate a little balance by having sent at least one anchor off with McCain when he made one of his foreign trips. [Fox News, 7/23/08]
– Sean Hannity: Karl, I want to get your thoughts on the media bias, and that is that, you know, John McCain’s been there eight times. And we don’t have the big three network anchors, the stars going with him. [Fox News, 7/23/08]
Watch the compilation:
But Newsweek’s Holly Bailey recently noted that McCain “chose not to take reporters” on his trip abroad because he “was on official Senate travel” and aides worried about stories “questioning whether he was improperly using his Senate office to benefit his presidential campaign.”
Bailey added, “In contrast, the Obama campaign is inviting reporters on its tour, handling all the logistics — including transportation.” Reporters would have faced “a logistical nightmare…keep[ing] up with McCain as they flew commercially from stop to stop. (McCain traveled by a military aircraft).”
So as it turns out, McCain decided, not the media, to have limited press on his trip. But as Bailey notes, this decision may have actually benefited McCain: “McCain made a big time gaffe confusing Sunnis and Shiites… [and] it didn’t create nearly the stir it would have had Brian Williams, Katie Couric or Charlie Gibson been reported their evening newscast from the scene.”
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