Better Know a Noble

1. The national press failed miserably in its role as the public advocate to question President Bush's motives to wage war in Iraq.
2. Press coverage of the Bush Administration, at least until Katrina, was far more positive and supportive than of the former Clinton Administration.
3. Moreover, the press marginalized Cindy Sheehan's peace movement, favoring the Christian Right's Terry Schiavo crusade instead.

These events are neither incidental nor coincidental, Boehlert would claim. In the past thirty years, the conservative donors, think tanks, media watchdog groups, and press have quietly consolidated and streamlined a powerful right-wing media cartel, penetrating national political discourse as never before. Their favorites (Bush) get kid-glove treatment, their enemies (Clinton) get boxing-glove treatment.

Boehlert is probably right, though without reading his book, I'd need a few points clarified. First, he notes how Whitewater and the various sex scandals persistently followed Clinton throughout his presidency, but Bush's drinking and coke-sniffing escapades were quickly disregarded. True, but Clinton’s scandals were ongoing, while Bush is coke-free for almost thirty years. How is that relevant anymore?

Also, “conservative media cartel” probably isn't the only storyline here: Aren’t we forgetting 9/11? That fateful day had a chilling effect on an otherwise feisty media. Supporting the president became popular again, especially during a military campaign in Afghanistan.

When the dust settles, even a cursory overview of recent political history would finally debunk the myth that the media swings to the left.

# posted by Jonathan Noble @ 10:49 PM