Media Bias and the Presidential Campaign

The political news website Politico took a look at media bias in the presidential campaign. Admittedly, my media diet isn't as broad as I would like it to be but it seems to me that media scrutiny of legitimate (and sometimes illegitimate) campaign issues has been fairly one-sided and there's been relatively few stories along the line of Cheryl Attkisson's CBS News investigation into the Obama campaign's finances. I'm talking about genuine investigative news reports, not reality checks on campaign ads.

I'm sure it will continue to be an issue after the election but the dialogue is already beginning, and not just on the political weblogs and talk radio. In addition to the Politico column referenced above I was surprised to see a column on the ABC News website by Money columnist Michael Malone calling the bias not just bewildering but appalling.

The Pew Research Center for Excellence in Journalism has already done a study on the tone of the campaign coverage, which is referenced in the Politico column. The tone of the McCain coverage is heavily negative in the media, while the Obama coverage is much more positive or neutral.

Media bias is always a touchy issue for journalists. It's an area where we're more thin skinned then we want to admit to ourselves. Politico's frankness was refreshing but it's just a start.

UPDATE: On November 9, 2008, Washington Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell assessed the presidential campaign coverage in her column: An Obama Tilt in Campaign Coverage.