Blogging Bias: Consevatives criticize debate moderator

Since the airing of the VP debate a couple of weeks ago, a vast number of blogs have criticized moderator Gwen Ifill, claiming her moderation was "biased." This criticism stems from her work in progress, a book to be titled "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the age of Obama."

The following are links to a couple of blogs questioning Ifill's fairness during the debate:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/gwen_ifills_vp_debate_bias.html
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/30/a-debate-%E2%80%9Cmoderator%E2%80%9D-in-the-tank-for-obama/

According to these and many other conservative bloggers (and unsurprisingly, a Fox News Report), Ifill's book is pro-Obama and its economic success depends upon the results of the election. They've also claimed that Ifill failed to disclose the potential conflict of interest.

The truth: Ifill's book is not pro-Obama. The success of the book is not dependent upon the success of the election, as much as it is Obama's candidacy. And Ifill didn't fail to disclose the book.

The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the age of Obama is about the roll of minorities in politics during recent history. According to Random House Publishing the book "sheds new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introduces the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political to power."

In September Gwen Ifill uploaded a video from Washington Week to Youtube, in which she openly talks about her book: "it's taking the story of Barack Obama and extending it to talk about a whole new generation of politicians..." said Ifill.

Furthermore, The book was reported on in the Washington Times and appeared in trade catalogs in July 2008. This was before she was selected to be moderator. It's not Ifill's fault the debate commission wasn't aware of her writing the book. The committee didn't do its homework.

And even if Ifill is pro Obama, does that make her incapable of being fair? No. Wouldn't you expect every Journalist to have an opinion? Yes. Ifill is the managing editor and moderator for a Washington Week and senior correspondent The News Hour on PBS. She is a respected Journalist with a long track record of covering politics and news, fairly. She should be judged only by her performance, not her interest in the candidacy of Barack Obama.

NBC sides with Biden

Palin vs. Biden: Did Debate Change Voter's Minds?

The mainstream media has been quick to point out VP candidate Sarah Palin's minimal experience and evasive answers to direct questions, especially those raised by CBS's Katie Couric. But after exceeding expectations during Thursday's vice presidential debate, Liberal news outlets had little to say about Palin's performance. Instead, they say Biden "restrained" himself to avoid seeming condescending or overly aggressive.

Friday morning, The Today's Show co-anchor Ann Curry asked Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill the following question:

"Do you think there was a double-standard at play here? Did Joe pull down his full game, and did that hurt him last night--and his ticket?"

Sen. McCaskill, an Obama supporter, responded with "I think he was being very careful. I think he was in a no-win situation. If he was too smart, he was condescending. If he was too nice, he was patronizing.

The idea that if Sen. Biden was "too smart," he'd come across as condescending is erroneous and presents a clear bias. Curry and McCaskill are diverting attention from Palin's performance and trying to provide an excuse to those who think Biden underperformed. Furthermore, this segment only provided a Democratic view point.

Political Analysis

Palin Delivers, But Doubts Linger
One debate will not erase doubts that have been building about Palin's capacity to serve as vice president

Dan Balz, a staff writer for the Washington Post, attempted to be a non-biased commentator or “analyst” on the debates last night. Unfortunately, like many journalists in the field today he just can’t keep his political sentiments to himself. While I tried to find an article extremely left-winged, the only news sources truly republican seemed to be those owned by Disney (ABC news), all other “big name” news sources are rooting for Obama. In the instance of this article, Palin Delivers, But Doubts Linger, one needn’t look further than the headline to realize what the overlying theme is…

“…Biden did all he could Thursday to make sure that would not happen. If Palin was the surprise, he was the steady and experienced voice.”

Balz definitely knows who he is voting for and finds it appropriate to be partial to one candidate. His selective use of vocabulary condones Palin and praises Biden. For instance, “Palin, who struggled with questions in televised interviews, came to Thursday's debate well briefed.”

Balz used the word struggle and well-briefed to belittle the Governor.


“Biden was direct, not verbose, and his answers came crisply in contrast to Obama's more studied and sometimes pausing style of speaking.”

The word crisp and direct evoke a sense of leadership and preparedness. Although Biden has spent more time in government than Palin, Balz does not mention that both are briefed beforehand.

This article appeared in The Washington Post Friday, October 3, 2008 on Page A01

Fox News praises McCain, bashes Biden and Obama

VP candidate Biden calls paying higher taxes a patriotic act. McCain supporter Gov. Tom Pawlenty reacts.

The "We Report. You Decide" Fox News slogan suggests the network alone provides us with adequate information to base intelligent decisions on. Question: How can we make such decisions when its news reports present only one side of an issue, the Republican side?

Thursday night, Fox News aired a report in response to VP Joe Biden's comments on ABC's Good Morning America. While discussing presidential candidate Barack Obama’s economic plan, under which those making more than $250,000 a year would pay more taxes, Biden said "It's time to be patriotic...its time to help America get out of the rut."

Following the segment from Good Morning America, Shepard Smith mentioned that McCain called the tax plan “dumb,” before interviewing Republican Minnesota Governor Tom Pawlenty, a McCain supporter. Pawlenty criticized Biden, stating that his comments resulted from “misguided and unclear thinking” and that the tax plan would “stifle and suffocate the economy.” He then went on to explain McCain’s economic plans like the creation of a Mortgage and Financial Institutions trust.

Pawlenty’s response to Biden’s interview and criticism of Obama’s economic plan isn’t the problem here. The absence of a Democratic dignitary to provide an alternative viewpoint is. The positive comments about McCain’s plans were plenty, yet we heard nothing about Obama’s plans or Biden’s interview but harsh criticism. This report is not “fair and balanced,” as Fox would lead you to believe. It’s bias.