In almost breathless tone, Cable Network News's website reported today:

"But the Obama-Ayers connection exploded into the national news Saturday when McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, accused Obama of "palling around" with a domestic terrorist."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/obama.ayers...

The byline on this report is from two members of something called "CNN Special Investigations Unit".

Very, very big sigh, or series of sighs for multiple points of frustration.

First, I am old enough to remember when reporting meant digging out facts that are newsworthy. In this context the notion that this story "exploded into the national news only this past weekend is patently absurd.

In reality, Hillary Clinton "exploded" this story way back in April, in her own debate with Obama. See, for example:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/904015,CST-...

The "story" has lurked just below the surface ever since. Apparently, the Special Investigations Unit doesn't know how to use Lexis or Google to determine whether a story is new or old. Very old. This is not reporting, it is summarizing known facts. And the editor who allowed it on the wire deserves equal flagellation for not putting the kibosh on it or at least moving it to the entertainment pages.

Second, our dear friends in the GOP continue to harp on the notion that the media is a tool of the liberal elements of our society and that this "liberal media" continues to attack conservative candidates while coddling liberal ones. There can be very little question which of the two principal candidates tend toward which end of that spectrum. Yet this story clearly follows the Palin/McCain line of attack against Obama for things that happened when he was 8 years old. While the story does note Obama's age at the time of the acts for which Ayers is condemned, the story taken in its entirety clearly is a piece aimed at Obama's honesty and credentials, but devoid of any facts or even hints of facts that would in fact bring that honesty or those credentials into question. With reporting like this on a major news outlet, just how does the "liberal media" myth perpetuate?

Third, the story ends by seeming to suggest that there is some correlation between the questionable nature of Ayers' actions as a member of the Weathermen and the fact that both he and Senator Obama resisted the notion of turning juvenile offenders into adults for purposes of judgment and incarceration. The so-called reporters offer no data suggesting any correlation, but one might reasonably infer that their decision to include this last topic in an article questioning Obama's association with Ayers is intended to suggest that that association is in some way tainted or ill advised. On what basis? Were the juveniles in question being charged with acts of terrorism? Is that why this is relevant?

Good grief. Is CNN trying to out fox Fox??

Technorati Tags: