Poor Reporting – The clip should have been showed in its entirety,
and breaking down phrases and expressions without context is simply poor
reporting.
Sensationalism – The ‘Is this the end of John McCain’ remark
is about as over-the-top as it gets.
Lack of Substance – What’s this all about again? Inappropriate
laughter? Not scolding a questioner? Not saying loudly enough that he
respects Senator Clinton?
Bias – I’ve been to several town hall meeting and I guarantee
you this is not the first inappropriate question this or any other candidate
has heard. Yet I haven’t seen other candidates taken to task when
a questioner asks a nasty question about George Bush.
Now I’m less inclined to claim liberal bias, and more inclined
to simply claim bias. I think everyone knows which networks slant left
and which one slants right, but I’m disappointed in CNN because
I used to think they tried to remain neutral. Yet this isn’t their
first mistake. They reported Senator McCain would be dropping out of
the presidential race last summer, which clearly he didn’t. Their
coverage of Iraq is full of commentary and short on reporting. I still
like watching Wolf Blitzer on Sundays because I think he’s an even-handed
journalist, but I hope CNN will rethink its programming and follow the
lead of journalists like Mr. Blitzer, instead of degrading itself for
ratings with showmen like Mr. Sanchez.