Moment of Zen #4 ( for May 12, 2009 )

In how far did the media help electing President Obama?

Does the media coverage of a political event like presidential elections in America have such a huge effect on the voting decisions that it can change the whole outcome?
The widespread positive coverage leading to real support drove Barack Obama’s campaign further. The democrats decline – but of cause the conservative party claims it anyway and talks of a ‘loss of reality’ concerning journalists and media concerns towards the elections.

But did the media really lose their “professional-best-possible-objectivity”?
Here are some facts:
American journalists: 7% identified themselves as conservative (1/3 liberal).
American public: 20% identified themselves as liberal.
The larger part of negative coverage was not liberalism or conservatism but skepticism towards Obama as a person himself – treated by rumors in most cases.

Sometimes it was not just extremely positive coverage of Obama but the extremely negative coverage of the McCain-campaign. Even more problematic was the fact that Obama was attacked every time. Fortunately he had to do absolutely nothing when the conservatives tried to put him down: Because they derogated themselves even enough. Another reason for these imbalanced media-reports was that the journalists aimed their coverage at polls all through the American public.

Usually the American media split the two candidates and their campaigns up completely: there were no links, no same-ideas – just all the differences. So this topic polarized: Yes or No, Up or Down, New or Old, Black or White. You have the choice. That turns out to be no good journalism quality! But of cause the journalists were not aware of the fact of being less objective – one of the worst things a journalist (in his/her “media-as-the-fourth-statewide-authority”-self-conception) can slip up.

So – please! – all the journalists:
- Check Your Sources,
- Look, Who’s Talking,
- Play The New News Game,
- Understand that Absence of Evidence Can Be Evidence of Absence.
Shortsightening the coverage is no solution! To seem kind of trustworthy to the public news coverage needs journalism quality.

Too positive support for Obama?
Too much of everything in the media?
Even too unobjective coverage?
Maybe.
But we are so lucky to be able to name him our new president. Future will tell if we are allowed to.

Sources:
McCollam, Douglas: “In the Tank”. In: Columbia Journalism Review: Strong Press, Strong Democracy. Jan/Feb 2009. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/192310357.html
Massing, Michael: “Un-American”. In: Columbia Journalism Review: Strong Press, Strong Democracy. Jan/Feb 2009.http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/6775