Thursday, September 18, 2008

Headline: A New Twist in the Debate on Mothers
by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Rachel L. Swarns

Let me start off this blog by making it clear that I do not have anything against how The New York Times operates. The publication is actually one of my favorite "all-star" newspaper powerhouses out there. However, this article took me by surprise in its sloppy reporting and unprofessional outlook on Gov. Sarah Palin and her candidacy. Since this blog is dedicated to unlocking and exposing the bias in media, I should also say that when it comes to politics, I have chosen to remain neutral, so my personal opinions will not cloud my judgement. 
"It's the Mommy Wars: Special Campaign Edition."
The majority of the article is basically an attack on Palin's campaign, questioning whether or not she will have time to commit to the stresses/duties that her position would require and also to efficiently care for her family, which include five children, one son who has Down syndrome and a pregnant 17-year-old daughter. The reporters shape this argument from entirely too many quotations containing opinions of religious mothers from around the country. The reporters tend to sugarcoat their attack with supposed uplifting sentences proclaiming Palin as having "everymom appeal" and being "a magnet for female voters." In other words, "you are a woman, good for you for putting your foot in the door of a man's world." 
"You can juggle a Blackberry and a breast pump in a lot of jobs, but not in the vice presidency," said Christina Henry de Tessan, a mother of two in Portland, Ore., who supports Mr. Obama. 
I found a couple of things a little strange  in this quotation, the first is that Barack Obama was referred to as Mr. Obama. The second is that this was just one of the many instances where those who were interviewed favored Obama. Where is the other side? 
Another factor I found extremely bias and unprofessional was that motherhood, albeit being the topic of the article, was grossly overanalyzed, while there was little to no mention of a father figure or his role in family affairs.
I would like to close on another quotation. 
"People who don't have children or who have only one or two are kind of overwhelmed at the notion of five children," Ms. Schlafly continued, mentioning that she had raised six children and run for Congress as well."I think a hard-working, well-organized C.E.O. type can handle it very well."
This was the only quotation that defended Palin. 







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