"Liberal" Media Bias?
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
October 28, 2008 5:29pm CST
V.P. nominee Joe Biden got some "tough" questions from "reporter" Barbara West last Thursday that were so loaded with false statements Biden at one point asked, "Are you joking? Is this is a joke? Or is that a real question?" West is actually a health reporter for Orlando WFTV, but there's more to her biography than that:
http://www.bluetidalwave.com/2008/10/conflict-of-interest-orlando-journalist.html
Well it turns out that her husband, Wade West, is a political and media consultant for Republican politicians. The GOP talking points Barbara West used in her interview may have come directly from the McCain Palin communications team via her husband Wade.
From Barbara West's website "I am married to Wade West, an international media consultant to politicians, professionals and organizations."
West's media communication and fundraising skills have made him a popular consultant for Republican political candidates ranging from local elections, to more than 85 members of Congress and members of the President’s cabinet.
Both Barbara and Wade West have frequently emceed Republican fundraisers in the local Central Florida community for at least a decade.
Wade West is also a Republican donor. West donated $250 to the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE. He gave $500 to Will McBride a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida. As well as $500 to John Mica and $1,000 to Richard Keller both GOP congressional candidates in Florida.
(End of excerpt)
I know the conservatives here and elsewhere were outraged by the "gotcha" questions asked of an unsuspecting Sarah Palin by Charlie Gobson and Katie Couric; do the questions asked of Joe Biden by a reporter/Republican surrogate also fall into that category?
Annie
1 person likes this
6 responses
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
29 Oct 08
You know, the part of this whole story I find amusing - and have been waiting for someone to bring up - is what the McCain campaign did when Campbell Brown wouldn't let him off the hook on answering her question. They canceled McCain's scheduled interview with Larry King later that week and informed CNN that no one from their campaign would be available for interviews because their reporters were obviously biased.
The question by West was obviously phrased to provoke a response, and it did. The response was "Are you serious?" As far as media bias goes - liberals on the far left have just as many complaints about media bias as those on the far right, and I you can find out just how much the media is biased toward a moderate liberal viewpoint by subscribing to email alerts from Media Matters (for the left-wing side of the issue) and reading right wing news/blog sites for the right wing side of the issue. There's plenty of bias to go around and the only way to get a somewhat clear view of any of it is to read both sides instead of the middle who don't ask hard questions of -anyone-.
3 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
29 Oct 08
They discussed this issue on a news program. I forget which one, on CNN I believe. What they said was that when a candidate doesn't like the questions they will generally find excuses not to have interviews with the station. The only difference here is that Obama's team openly stated they would no longer speak or give interviews to them. Not exactly a smart move on their part and may come back to bite them later on.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
29 Oct 08
Great point, and CNN is a national network while the Biden interview was on a local Orlando station who decided to put their health reporter whose husband happens to be a GOP consultant on the air with the specific purpose, I've no doubt, of trying to make Biden look bad. Sorry, righties, but I don't think it worked, I think she made herself look bad but it's fine if you disagree with me because that's what myLot is all about. I knew I'd take some heat for this post but I didn't care.
Annie
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
29 Oct 08
The McCain campaign made no bones about it either. They were very clear that they were canceling Senator McCain's interview with Larry King on CNN because they didn't like the fact that Campbell Brown pressed Tucker Bounds to answer her question. Their official statement was "after a relentless refusal by certain on-air personalities to come to terms with Senator McCain's selection of Alaska's sitting governor as vice presidential nominee, we decided John McCain's time would be better served elsewhere."
1 person likes this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
29 Oct 08
ROFL!! Yes we all know that there are outraged huh?! lol I can't believe a health reporter would be put on to interview a VP candidate. Was this a FOX network? lol
2 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
29 Oct 08
Then would you say the ladies of the view, excluding Barbara Walters, have no business asking political questions of their guests?
Why is it called skirting the truth when Sarah Palin doesn't answer a question but it is perfectly acceptable for Biden not to answer?
Being a health reporter has nothing to do with it. Absolutely nothing.
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
29 Oct 08
Isn't that the difference between the talk show and the news? The ability to ask questions? So you are saying if it was someone else then it would have been a legitimate question that Biden should have answered. Right?
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
29 Oct 08
Good thing we are in the US and we are both able to have our own opinions.
"Why is it called skirting the truth when Sarah Palin doesn't answer a question (...)"
Didn't know it was called "skirting the truth" I can't stand listening to Palin and I hate listening to news being reported about her. I have actually never been so sickened by a politican and I'm from a state that is almost as corrupt as Alaska.
As for "The View" it's a talk show they can have on whomever they want and ask whatever they want. This was suppose to be the news. Our local news has some reporter that pulls all the reports on restaurants from the health department, the station made him take some health classes at the local college.
1 person likes this
@cotton0821 (259)
• United States
29 Oct 08
I have always thought the best measure of a politician was their response to a tough question. They could whine about it or view it as an opportunity to fully explain some tough issues. Biden was given an opportunity to put to rest a charge made by many that Obama is too liberal or a socialist. Instead he chose to sidestep the issue. A tough question is an opportunity not a demonstration of bias.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
28 Oct 08
Of course she's a republican plant. She's the first interviewer to grill Biden the way Palin's been grilled by Couric, Gibson, or of course, Drew Griffin, the man who lied and misquoted an article to put Palin on the defensive by claiming a republican journalist was insulting her when he was actually criticizing the media coverage.
You're right Annie. Shame on her for asking tough questions. Clearly she should have read the script provided to her by the Obama campaign. She should have stuck to questions like "Why is Obama so great?", "Is he related to Brad Pitt", and "What's it like to know you're making history?"
By the way, exactly what lies did she tell in that interview. Please include proof of lies for the benefit of those people reading who aren't minions of Obama.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
29 Oct 08
You're kidding, right? You consider what Palin got from Gibson or Couric being "GRILLED"? Have you watched any TV when Palin isn't onscreen lately? Biden has appeared on Meet the Press and all the other major political and news shows more than politicians and he's never backed down from tough questions. I'm sure you'd like the transcript of every single one but that wouldn't help because we're not going to agree on this no matter what anyone says. Let's suffice it to say that I agreed with Keith Olbermann 100% when he called Sarah Palin a fraud at the end of his campaign comment. Sorry if this offends some here but it's how I see it. I'm also very sorry as a woman that the first female V.P. nominee in over two decades could ever be seen in that way.
Annie
1 person likes this
@thedogshrink (1266)
• United States
29 Oct 08
It is known that the "do you agree with the Bush Doctrine" was misleading. Many people have pointed out that there is no clear cut Bush Doctrine, and at least several different points have been referred to as the Bush Doctrine. How was she supposed to know which one or what he was referring to?
So Biden and Obama have been given a free pass all this time from the media, and finally someone dares asks them the question that the public has been asking all week, and that Obama has denied -- and Biden with all his years of experience can't answer it? It's so different from Palin.
Obama embraced socialism and Marxism in his book, yet now claims he is neither or rather he doesn't lean in those directions. It is a reasonable question to ask. If they are not leaning in that direction it would have been answerable. You Obama supporters keep arguing that he is not Marxist or socialist or even leaning that way --- how come Biden couldn't answer that question. IF it's not true, there's a way to answer it. If it's true, the American people NEED to know and have a RIGHT to know.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
29 Oct 08
Now what's that old saying? Turn about is fair play.
1 person likes this
