Backlash
CNN tells Palin to go Cheney herself:
CBS News' Scott Conroy reported this morning that Sarah Palin's aides last night notified a network TV producer about her meeting with some world leaders. A pool producer would provide content for the five television networks, and would be on hand to cover the greetings between Palin and the world leaders, but wouldn't be allowed to sit in on the private meetings.An hour before Palin's first meeting was set to begin, however, the campaign changed the rules, and the pool producer was told he would have no access. As Conroy explained, "This means that the McCain/Palin campaign would get the benefit of free pictures of Palin's meeting with world leaders without having to face the possibility that the candidate might have to answer a question from the media."
However, the McCain people seem to have backed off a bit.
Meanwhile, Jay Rosen asks:
If the McCain campaign says, on the record and before the national press, that the New York Times is not a legitimate news organization, or a journalistic enterprise at all, but a political action committee working for Obama (and that is what Steve Schmidt said to reporters; listen to it...) then why does the Times have to treat the McCain crew as a "normal" campaign organization, rather than a bunch of rogue operators willing to say absolutely anything to gain power and lie to the nation once in office? I mean, really. How far can you stretch, "they're just blaming the messenger, a common tactic when frustrated...?" Does that kind of placid response cover all cases? At what point does an extreme attempt to de-legitimate the press actually de-legitimate the candidate as an extremist in the eyes of the press?
Fair question.
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