The current lead story on CNN.com is about Bristol Palin and teen pregnancy(10 AM Eastern). Isn’t there any real news to report?

If my memory serves me correctly, didn’t CNN.com have a wide banner along the top heralding the Democratic Convention? Does anyone have an archive?

Grim

I’m going to have to tune out for a couple of days. The attacks on Palin are seriously raising my blood pressure. I sent $200 today (Thursday is the last day for contributions). Now, for the sake of health, I have to take a break.

Blackhedd… you are awesome.

BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T OWE THEM ANYTHING

This is very true. I am also convinced it is why Fred Thompson got a lot of bad press and lies spread about him during the later stages of his campaign.

He didnt kiss the right rings.

The exact same thing is true with Palin. She hasnt kissed the right rings and is paying the price for it.

And I hope that it stays that way.

Anything about MSM is bad politicking. Even Pres. Bush has had enough of MSM and doesnt’ want to communicate with them…because it’s so simple:

MSM is the biggest LIAR in America.

In most interviews, If you say Yes, MSM will report NO with a scorn.

Yes she does have more executive experience than John McCain – well said!
I wouldnt say she has the love of half the country. She has the love of the social conservative base - maybe 25-30% of the population.
Alaska is no more important than many other states (red and blue). Yes it has oil but then so do many other states and oil isnt the bee all and end all of importance. We are all equal before God.
Proven reformer? Yes she took on Ted Stevens after setting up a 527 for him and she has been for earmarks before being against them and yes she hired lobbyists in her small town.

Remember the more press on her the less time and attention for attacks on Obama. She is also eclipising McCain and will have her own power base independent of him. May not help with governing.

She’s the anti-Obama. She made it without their hype, TRULY just using grass roots support.

The Drive By Media

Here’s the real reason the mainstream press are treating Sarah Palin like Public Enemy Number One:

BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T OWE THEM ANYTHING.

I’m sorry, but I don’t think this could be much further from the truth. While obviously we are both generalizing about a large and diverse group, as a herd the media are generally fixated on one thing: creating and sustaining a dramatic narrative that sells.

This is the driving force behind the majority of their obsession with Obama, for better or for worse: whether they’re crucifying him or deifying him, they’re piling on what is indisputably a dramatic, historic narrative that practically sells itself.

With Gov. Palin they simply smell opportunity. With most VP picks, you’re going to go with a known quantity, someone who’s been extensively vetted and with a mountain of preexisting talking points and research. When you catapult someone who is a relative unknown into that role, suddenly you have an entire industry with the opportunity to make or break their career by breaking the Big Scoop. You can bet every political beat reporter in the country is harassing every minor functionary in Podunk, AK for any tidbit that might be relevant or make an interesting story.

Obviously, there’s a ton of people in AK with axes to grind against Gov. Palin. So they’re going to talk, and some of them are going to say things that make it to print. Some of those things are going to be true, some colored by bias, and some outright fabrication. And unfortunately for her, some of those stories are pretty good at putting butts in seats during prime time.

The pregnancy story is simply icing at this point. By this time, none of us should be the least bit surprised that sex sells, and that if there are two news stories–one with a prurient angle, and one without–the media will hammer the prurient one relentlessly because it’s the one that sells.

That’s the majority of what’s happening here. It’s not a butthurt on the media’s party, and it’s not ideological. It has nothing to do with what’s decent or fair. It’s just laziness and avarice.

That’s all that’s happening here.

that Chelsea Clinton is ugly. Remarkable how things change, how family members have become a campaign issue, how liberals dump beliefs in the can.

The media, the only thing that makes the Democratic party viable, may realize their mistakes quite soon, maybe by the end of the week.

Then again there’s a class of moron that never learns.

She also didn’t bow low before them after McCain selected her.

I think what you are saying is true. Sensationalism sells, and the media tends towards dramatic narratives. But this is only part of the truth.

I think Blackhedd’s take is part of the truth as well.

But I think there is a third truth that you both neglect or reject. Institutional bias. These guys, both collectively and individually, are infected with a strong bias, as a function of the types of people that are into that line of work, the way they are brought up and trained, and the way they see the world. It is as simple as this: When someone like me may see the glass as half full, if the majority of those in the media see it as half empty- and tell the half empty story in countless ways and formats- well, that is going to have an impact. And it does.

Let me reiterate the third point. Bias, and not even necessarily animosity, can in the end result in a wholly different interpretation of the news being delivered to and received by the masses- all the while the facts don’t necessary have to be untrue or inaccurate.

Now, when they start repeating rumors and lies in the guise of news, like “liberal blogs are in a flurry of activity tonight over reports that Trig belongs to Bristol, not Sarah, Palin.”… Well I am still having a hard time connecting the dots with the way the media has attacked Sarah Palin by way of her minor daughter.

I don’t think being displeased that she has not paid her media dues, sensationalism, bias, and enmity can explain it this time.

I would add one point on the “She doesn’t owe them” idea.

Since the media is down for Obama and they are masters at the manipulation of the general public; they see the potential of Sarah Palin not the Governor but the woman to disrupt their carefully manicured presentation of The Obamessiah.

It is in this mindset that every writer within the MSM is fearful of the bright light that shines from Palin. I know how I feel, absolutely giddy now over her nomination. Many of the people I know (admittedly conservatives) are energized for McCain; and these are folks who despise McCain.

The last time I felt like this was in 1980 and many echo the same feelings as I. And this is why the MSM is pulling out all the stops to discredit Palin. But I believe it will backfire.

If you folks think back (and are that old) Reagan is the one who beat the press by going around and over them. Just as has been noted, before Reagan and since to get anywhere you had to kiss the the MSM ring and be subjected to their scrutiny and not challenge them.

I remember when Reagan’s message was not getting past the MSM filter so he started prime time “Addresses from the Oval Office to the Nation” the MSM had to cover them and he told the nation his message himself…the MSM was apoplectic. He skunked them from that point forward. Bush 1 tried it and you may remember the MSM finally refused to cover them and they stopped.

I see a lot of Reagan in Palin…only time will tell, but for the first time in a decade I see the tiniest sparkle of hope we may have a new leader…a real leader.

She is a hippy’s nightmare come to life. Here come a woman who has done the hard work to get where she is without having done any partisan bs to obfuscate her right to claim the VP nomination. And she is beautiful, which only angers the hairy hippies more- ya’ll know its true. She has more “straight talk” and back that talk up with real reformer action than any person in the race. The media really doesn’t know what to do with her, so they go for the ratings ( and boardroom high-fives)and attack her. She will win America over tonight with her speech and then these bs attacks will ring hollow. By next week BO will be stealing pages from her play book mark my words!

They think that talking trash online and lobbing F-bombs are the height of guy cool.

Now comes this Second Amendment Sister who can not only shoot straight, but probably beat them up, too. Not to mention her husband!

Of course, Sarah intimidates me, too. But I gave up concern about macho stuff a while back as I progressed into middle age. My priority has shifted to breathing. So Ms. Palin doesn’t bother me!