It seems that mainstream media favors the democrats and the Obama camp. this election.

Thank you for your statement of your position on this issue and for joining me in this debate. Thank you to all those readers who will be giving a fair and evenhanded assessment of the issues and arguments at hand. The issue at hand is the media's portrayal of the current candidates for the American presidency. The "pro" side of this debate argued the the mainstream media heavily favors the Democrats and the Obama campaign. My opponent defined the terms as follows: the mainstream news media consists of the non-cable news networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC. I will expand the definition of mainstream media to include print media such as The New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as The Wall Street Journal. It is worth noting that the "pro" opening simply stated the mainstream media favors the Obama campaign, without stating what the Obama campaign is favored over specifically. Though it is true the media may portray Obama in a more positive light than Bob Barr, Libertarian candidate for President, I take issue with his implied assessment that the Obama campaign is favored over the McCain campaign in the media for partisan reasons alone. My opponent argues that, based on subjective opinions formulated while watching the major party conventions, news sources favor Democrat Barrack Obama. The reasoning for this is that, while watching the nominating conventions, more attention was given to the personal stories of Obama and Biden than those of McCain and Palin. While there was a slight disparity in the coverage given the two conventions, the reasoning was not as sinister as my opponent would have you believe. The Democratic Convention in Denver essentially owned the news cycle. There was little else of exigent significance occurring at the time of the convention. Thus, the media was obliged to devote a good portion of time to the proceedings. The Republicans were not so lucky. Hurricane Gustav slammed into the Gulf Coast just as their convention was getting underway. The clear and present danger to lives and property trumped the foregone conclusion of the convention as headline news. The Republicans themselves cut back on planned events at the convention. The sitting President canceled his in-person appearance, opting instead for a video-link of himself. This move further reduced the relevancy of the convention. I am personally a conservative Republican and McCain supporter, but I also consider myself a strong supporter of the free press. At the end of the day, the media has to cover what is relevant, substantial, and appealing. In this realm, the Democrats far outperformed my own Republicans. Barrack Obama, a dynamic public speaker, gave a rousing and stirring oratory that moved his audience. His nomination was fascinating in itself because he is the first black man to receive a major party nomination. His running-mate overcame incredible personal hardship to devote thirty years to his country as a public servant and expert on foreign policy. Both men appear young and energetic, and speak of change. In contrast, the McCain-Palin ticket presents a war-hero in McCain who, despite a public service record surpassing that of Joe Biden, has yet to become an electrifying speaker. No one has ever accused McCain of "raising the echos" and stirring a crowd to a frenzy. Sarah Palin is an unknown commodity who's "every-woman" image doesn't make her particularly glamorous or newsworthy. Whether we like it or not, networks exist to provide news, but especially to provide news that sells. The energy and storyline behind the Obama/Biden ticket simply runs circles around any excitement the Republicans could have hoped to create. That energy and excitement sells newspapers and just makes for better stories. Its like throwing a party stocked with bottled water and being upset when all the attendees go to the kegger across the street. With regards to the issue of Palin's pregnant daughter, I argue this coverage is nothing more than the media doing its job. A pro-life, pro-family, socially conservative candidate who runs on a platform of family values should absolutely be scrutinized when a member of her own immediate family seems to be at odds with the image Palin would project. At the very least, some quotes from the candidate explaining the situation are not only appropriate, they are vital to honest debate. Palin went a step further and brought her pregnant daughter to the nominating convention flooded with reporters looking for stories. In doing so, Republicans either wanted the pregnancy to have media exposure, or they were insane. My opponent introduced a pollster who allegedly asked a biased, partisan question in my opponent's presence. I call into question the legitimacy of this individual as a pollster. Pollsters and political consultants careers are based on the accuracy of the data they collect. Why would a pollster intentionally bias a respondent to a poll in an effort to achieve an inaccurate result? It seems the legitimacy of this individual could be dubious at best. My opponent also referenced video narrations of the candidates lives, which he/she asserted favored Democrats. Those videos, however, are often the production of the campaigns themselves and are shown in the convention hall on CCTV. The networks simply pick up the feed for broadcast. That being the case, the Republicans would have done well to produce similar documentaries if they wanted exposure of that nature. In summary, the "con" presents the following points: 1) Events outside the media's control made differences in coverage necessary. 2) The DNC presented a more compelling and newsworthy storyline than the RNC, which led to more coverage. 3) Negative stories regarding Palin's personal life are the responsibility of the media to report. They should have been foreseen by the Republicans who may or may not have vetted Palin. 4) My opponents assertions regarding an experience with a pollster seem unrealistic. 5) Parties, not networks, are often responsible for convention content.