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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2006-02-20

A Tale Of Two Veeps

So, now it's been a week since the two most immediate past Vice Presidents have been in the news. Let's see how the national media has handled things. Via Google:

"Dick Cheney Anderson Ranch": 9,750 hits, from all type and manner of major media outlet

"Al Gore Jiddah": 472 hits, 6 of the first 10 from new media

Let's be clear about the difference here: The Cheney story is the sitting Vice President shoots a friend in a hunting accident, the friend is all right, the sheriff has closed the investigation, and there are NO further ramifications of the event; the Gore story is a former Veep, and elder statesman of his party, a man who was almost President and will likely run again in 2008, going into the Arab world and inventing history in a fashion that damages alliances, encourages anti-American sentiment around the world, and leaves the world with the impression that the administration's foreign policy is not supported at home.

In other words: one week later, the Cheney story is fodder for late night talk shows, the Gore story is fodder for anti-American hatred around the globe.

And the media has given TWENTY TIMES more coverage to Cheney than to Gore.

Wonder why the media has fallen so far in the view of Americans? Its because it's institutional biases are starting to prevent it from keeping its eye on the ball. And in the same weekend that the mullahs of Iran say that the use of nuclear weapons against the west is justified, the Sunday talkers were still prattling on about Cheney.

The media's eye is so far off the ball, it's like they're watching the Lifetime Network during the game, instead.
Posted by: Michael / 2/20/2006 12:53:00 AM

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