U.S. News and World Report seems mildly surprised at the study recently released by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard. This despite the fact that the results of the study simply repeat what virtually every other honest study has for 40 years; namely, that press coverage is dramatically more positive in its treatment of Democrats.The specifics this time around? Coverage of the winter/spring election went 69% positive for Barack Obama, 67% positive for Hillary Clinton, and 43% positive for John McCain. And remember, McCain had no "sniper fire" lies, no crying jags, no Jeremiah Wright, no flag pin controversy, no wife who only recently felt pride in her country, and so on.
Whatever the coming election brings, Americans can depend on at least one sure thing. The fight will be on a decidedly uneven playing field.
