Study Shows Media Coverage Favors Romney, Not Obama

A snippet from my article posted at The Grio on Monday about the meme that will not die:

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Was there ever a time that Republicans did not complain about the liberal media? If there is. I cannot think of it.

And even though each Pew Research Center study for the past year has conclusively demonstrated that the myth of the liberal media is precisely that — a myth, that has not stopped Romney and his many surrogates from complaining that the Liberal Media™ is out to get him.

Ann Romney has complained about media bias against her husband even as Hilary Rosen, who made a valid point about Ms. Romney’s inability to truly understand the woes of the average working mother,was nonetheless tarred and feather in the media.

Mitt Romney frequently complains about media bias against him, while stalwartly refusing to appear on Sunday shows on any network that is not Fox.)

And, last Thursday, Politico weighed in, claiming that the cries about liberal media bias “often ring true”:

Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary to President George W. Bush, said the personal coverage of Romney is silly and won’t cut it with voters, but that he finds the media inconsistency with regards to covering Obama to be galling.

These stories are not unusual, except they were never done about then-Senator Obama in 2008,” Fleischer said. “The press never ran probing, sneering stories about candidate Obama, and yet The Washington Post and New York Times are on overtime covering who-cares stories about Mitt Romney.”

Really, Ari? You’ve got to be kidding. The press is still running probing, sneering stories about PresidentObama. Are you familiar with Maureen Dowd’s work? It is not for the faint of heart.  And if you are brave enough to venture into the outer reaches of the Internet where World Net Daily resides, you are sure to find tales of Obama munching on puppies for lunch.

As for candidate Obama? I have two words for you: Jeremiah Wright. In 2008, the electorate was treated to “God d**n America!” on a loop for what seemed like ever. And now, thanks to Romney surrogate Donald Trump, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, and an assortment of conservatives, we are going to be treated to six months of intense Birther speculation that the media is still loathe to call racist because the word “racist” is so uncivil.

(I have to send you over to The Grio so you can read the rest; you know you want to!)

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One interesting point about the Pew Research Center charts that I did not touch on in my article is this: The only "media" outlet in which President Obama receives  on-balance positive coverage (or tone) is on Twitter.  As social media takes over as a primary news source, I wonder if it will force traditional forms of media to be better?  One can hope.  I'm not sure I want to live in a world where Buzzfeed -- which last night reported on a purported presidential blowjob joke last -- is a legitimate news source.