Robert Samuelson's piece from Investor's Business Daily makes for important reading, breaking down as it does just why it's so dangerous for the MSM to abandon its sense of fairness and professionalism.The Obama infatuation is a great unreported story of our time. Has any recent president basked in so much favorable media coverage? Well, maybe John Kennedy for a moment; but no president since. On the whole, this is not healthy for America.
Our political system works best when a president faces checks on his power. But the main checks on Obama are modest. They come from congressional Democrats, who largely share his goals if not always his means.
The leaderless and confused Republicans don't provide effective opposition. And the press — on domestic, if not foreign, policy — has so far largely abdicated its role as skeptical observer...
The press has become Obama's silent ally and seems in a state of denial. But the story goes untold: Unsurprisingly, the study of all the favorable coverage received little coverage.
But then note that not all journalists are in the tank over Obama. The Brits stand out in particular. As James Lewis writes,
...The White House press corps is now completely supine, utterly shameless in its groveling cowardice. Stalin himself couldn't have wished for a more slobbering press corps. Rather than mailing them nice little Lipton tea bags, millions of sane Americans might consider sending air sickness bags to our Reigning Media.
But not, thank haven, across the broad Atlantic. There free speech and even laughter are still alive, among the well-lubricated scribblers of Fleet Street. The journos of Britain show little respect for American Presidents regardless of race, creed or color. They laugh hysterically at all of them. Not that it takes much imagination...
All of which makes Team Obama furious. They're so used to slavish compliance that they fly out of control when journalists dare to fairly report their words, policies and effects. For example, White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, lost it the other day in a remarkable display of petulance and condescension. (By the way, Nile Gardiner gives a proper response to Gibbs' schoolyard complaints in the Telegraph.)
The next in line for Team Obama's scorn? Believe it or not, it could be liberal journalist Bob Wodward.
