Posted by
Mike Bates on Monday, September 22, 2008 11:14:24 AM
Not long ago, many in the mainstream media were bemoaning the
deterioration of public discourse in this year's presidential
campaign. Stories of lipsticks and pigs and other nongermane matters
were irrelevant and time-wasters, they tut-tutted. Let's get back to
the real issues.
So the September 29, 2008 Newsweek strikes a blow for substantive journalism and giving voters information they really need to know. "All the Candidates’ Cars" begins:
When you have seven homes, that's a lot of garages to
fill. After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two
presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And
based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John
and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.
The article goes on to detail the vehicles, pointing out that some
McCain cars were not - get out the smelling salts - made in America.
If readers make it through this piece they'll learn in the last
paragraph that of all the McCain rides, "Only the Cadillac is
registered in the candidate's name."
They could have investigated more thoroughly. Somehow, I can't
imagine Michell Obama standing on a Chicago corner waiting for the
bus. Then again, reporting that would have ruined an otherwise perfect
story.
Stirring up a little class envy must be an example of the intrepid,
hard-hitting journalism the mainstream media were demanding only days
ago. Fortunately, they're going to "educate" voters on the critical
issues that genuinely matter.
I'd rather read about Sarah's lipstick.