What is with the media's complete turnaround?

[CoffeeCat]

This should be a topic that all of us can discuss rationally--no matter who you support.

I am totally amazed at how the media has completely done an about-face when it comes
to Clinton and Obama. Clinton is getting almost-constant media coverage--positioning
her as having "momentum". "Newsweek" has her on the cover as "The Fighter" and CNBC
and have completely turned and they are reporting positive Clinton stories, nearly
round-the-clock.

Conversely, Obama's coverage has been cut significantly. You can barely find a story
about him on CNN's front page. He seems to be on the back burner. When he does get
coverage, it's unfavorable or very lukewarm.

It feels like the media has had some kind of top-down paradigm shift.

I notice so many stories are not reported. Clinton's NAFTA nuances to Canada, and also
the fact that the Texas caucuses are not finalized--therefore there really isn't a
final winner in Texas yet--but the media has called it for her. The caucuses are
barely mentioned, as they are being sorted out.

I read today in the Dallas Morning News that many Texas Democratic Party officials
feel threatened into releasing the Texas caucus results slowly--because Hillary
has threatened lawsuits if those results are released before they are "certified."
That takes a few days. Every caucus in the primary has released their results
before being certified. These Texas Democratic Party officials, as well as others,
are suggesting that Clinton wants to ride her, "I'm a winner!" wave for as long
as she can--to justify staying in the race. Once those Texas caucus results
are released--and Obama is declared the winner of the caucus--and also of the
entire state of Texas--this ends her victory party.

The media is AWOL on this story, as well as other stories.

What is going on with the media? Why have they drastically changed their
reporting and why have they turned on Obama and why are they appearing to downplay
or blackout legitimate Hillary stories?

What's going on? Anyone have any idea?

[Birthmark]

1. News isn't news, that's why.

They are selling the "controversy." If Hillary goes back out front, they'll swing back to Barack. Today's secret word: Profit.

[writes3000]

2. Several things...

1) They are desperate to continue this story. So they need the race to continue.

2) The media is obsessed with the media so the SNL effect had an effect.

3) The media doesn't really want to be on the bad side of the next Dem president.

But mostly, it's number one.

I think we'll see more balance again after Sat.

[acrosstheuniverse]

3. They want this to be a horse race!

It is all about keeping the race going, filled with drama, all in the name of ratings and $$$$$$$$$$$.

[movonne]

4. If in someway this goes to clinton ...I believe this has been a setup

all along...I thought is was real funny how mccain was at the bottom of the polls and now the nominee...and it has always been hillary to be the dem...that way no change...

[sandnsea]

12. Why did McCain kiss up to Bush in 2004

Because he was promised the Presidency in 2008. Yep, I don't trust any of it anymore.

[Hardrada]

23. So many of our newspapers in Iowa picked Clinton and

McCain. Interesting how the entire spectrum of the MSM is setting things up. One of my profs in grad school said years ago that we were an oligopoly and not a democracy. I guess things haven't changed much since 1968.

[Gore1FL]

27. I just can't figure out how it will happen that way

It's like being behind 10 points in a basketball game with 10 seconds left on the clock. It isn't technically over, but if you left then, you'd still know who won.

[BzaDem]

5. It is SO satisfying

to see that they are now giving Obama the same treatment they were giving Hillary for months. If you couldn't see the blatant pro-Obama anti-Hillary bias from October to the end of Feb, you have been living under a rock.

EDIT: This isn't to say I approve of media bias in any direction. I think it should be completely impartial. I just was so amazed that Obama supporters were denying blatent bias for their candidate from Oct-Feb, and it is good that now everyone is seeing how biased they can be for the candidate they approve of.

[Binka]

11. Whatever.

:eyes:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

14. Satisfying. So, you agree with a subversive MSM?

[BzaDem]

17. No. I think it should be completely impartial.

But it is satisfying to have Obama supporters finally see how the media can be very biased, when they were denying it before.

[laugle]

33. He's just getting a little

taste of what they have been flinging at Hillary........he needs to toughen-up and stop whining............

He may be getting the kitchen sink, but she's been getting the whole house!

[Cant trust em]

6. Hillary has changed her strategy

and going more on offense. Reporters who were tired of listening to the same Obama speech are getting new stories on Clinton's new attacks. It's the same Obama vs. the new Clinton. Plus comebacks are more interesting that momentum.

[rug]

7. It quickly turns on losers.

[sandnsea]

8. And why couldn't anyone get a change on the war

And if one more person says it's only media profit...

:banghead:

:argh:

[npincus]

9. They're pimping their narrative:"The Hillary Comeback"- they don't do news

Like, why bother mentioning that Obama will likely win Texas once all caucus results are in.

[0007]

16. It all about sensationalism and tabloid news.

[mitchum]

22. Exactly...they are not reporting news, but indeed shaping their narrative...

a long-planned narrative

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. The media wants a brokered convention.

They want to make the race look closer than it is.

:shrug:

[comradebillyboy]

13. Obama was their darling for a while, now they will

shit on him because he made them look bad by not wrapping up the nomination last Tuesday. The pundits said he would crush Clinton, and Clinton didn't get crushed and she vastly exceeded expectations. Obama embarrassed the media by not meeting their expectations, now he is being punished. But don't worry, they still hate Hillary and will get back to savaging her soon enough.

[K Gardner]

19. Well, this is the irony tho. In addition to the success of Hillary going negative,

the media was complicit in that success by covering it 24/7, blanket coverage.. and decreasing any coverage of Obama. So its strange they would be embarassed by their predictions when they essentially helped to defeat him. Argghh, its just got to stop, or we'll never have right elections in this country.

[Jack_DeLeon]

15. Cause everybody likes underdogs...

and Clinton was one.

[K Gardner]

18. I would have written this myself if I'd been able to format it as

cogently as you have. It seemed to me to start slowly after the last debate and built up into an almost total Obama blackout after the SNL parody and appearance. I keep turning on the TV wondering if Obama died. I've honestly never seen anything like it. Glad I'm not just paranoid and that someone else noticed it. My son called last night and he had no idea there was even a caucus in TX, or that Obama was ahead in it. He lives in OH and had not even heard the other side of the Nafta story. I understand they can be "biased", but this total blackout seems somehow not quite kosher.

[SoFlaJet]

20. you should know better TS

as I look for your threads everyday and we've been in a lot of the same fights around here. You should know how these Clinton supporters here at DU are. I see them as bad as the republican pro-Bush C-Span callers to Washington Journal were from 2002-2005-same cultish devotion to a cause that always has some underlying agenda-whether it's trolls who are here to make waves or staffers to her campaign that set up shop at DU with the charge of posting pro-Clinton anti-whoever is a threat propaganda threads, to the people who wear their sexuality on their sleeves like a badge of honor and are quick to join any fight around. You should KNOW you can't talk sense to this crowd-they refuse to see that she is losing and has virtually NO LEGAL SHOT at getting the nomination-SHAME ON YOU TWO SPARKLES

[hell-bent]

29. I detect some sour grapes,eh.

I believe Obama should drop out because he received a real "whoop-ass" beating in both Texas and Ohio. Fuck those caucuses.....they are bogus attempts at determining who is the real choice of the voters! A closed primary is the true test of who the people really want.......not some small portion of the voters all jacked up at some meeting where working people are sometimes excluded from attending. It reminds me of those orange-shirted Dean surrogates in the 2004 Iowa primary. P.S. Clinton will be the nominee..suck it up!

[SoFlaJet]

30. Earth to hell-bent

how did you do in math in school? Check the numbers bucko-if Clinton wins all 16 primaries in a row by a margin of 10-15%-EVERY ONE....guess what? she still won't have as many pledged delegates as the she devil-I mean Hillary needs

[juajen]

37. Golly, gee, I hardly recognized that you were actually talking

about me. Are you sure you haven't just stolen an anti-Obama post and changed the name to Clinton? This is truly laughable.

[Emit]

21. This might be far fetched, but

See robertpaulsen's thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4933865

[Yossariant]

24. Yesterday morning, Cokie Roberts said Hillary's SNL appearance helped her

in more ways than one.

~ That her own appearance was very good, but that the debate skit brought home the disparity in how the media had been treating Clinton and Obama.

~ And brought it home to the media.

I think she made a good point.

[hisownpetard]

25. The media have proven, they can turn on a dime. It's frightening and unconscionable

how they have influenced the current political process.
Have they no ethics at all?

[LiberalAndProud]

26. Keeping it interesting.

A bit of a gladiator feel about it. They'll continue to prop up the perceived underdog in the race. Ratings? could be. More likely, they have a similar agenda as Rush Limbaugh, et al. We will present a bloodied, but vetted candidate in November. Let's hope they haven't suicided our party's prospects for the White House at the end of it.

[mudesi]

28. Ratings, ratings, and ratings

They want this to go on as long as possible.

[Straight Shooter]

31. Maybe the media is just tired of fawning over Obama.

Maybe the charisma well has run dry for them. Maybe the pro-Obama group got the short straw for the month.

The reason doesn't matter. They do what they do without regard for the consequences of what they're doing. They live for their paycheck and the glory of being in the public eye, nothing more, nothing less.

[laugle]

32. It's called the

"BIG MO" Obama had it and now Hillary's got it! Them's the breaks.........it will go back and forth until the end.......the race is close.........it seems that some people are having second thoughts about an Obama presidency.......I think everyone's vote should be counted!

"POWER TO THE PEOPLE!"

[high density]

34. Obama is still in the lead isn't as sexy as CLINTON THE COMEBACK WOMAN

So... We get CLINTON THE COMEBACK WOMAN.

[backscatter712]

35. Rupert Murdoch.

He wants two things.

1. Ratings for the media outlets.

2. To destroy the Democratic Party and their chances in November.

And he gets both by turning the primary into a horse-race. Actually, horse-races are somewhat civilized. More like a bad Jerry Springer brawl which will utterly ruin the loser, and leave the winner battered and bloodied. He wants it so divisive and nasty that all the new blood coming into the party with hope to try to change things get demoralized and disgusted and take their ball and go home. Meanwhile, McCain and the GOP sit and watch and prepare and when it's all over, they eat us alive.

[sueragingroz]

36. SNL shamed them into it

It got so obvious that they were forced to finally take a look at this guy.

At least that's part of it..

[GoldieAZ49]

38. SNL mocked them, they cannot stand being mocked and SNL is perceived as cool

the Obama worship of the media had to stop. I think if their had not been a writers strike it would have happened sooner.

Obama positioned himself as 'the new politician' and said he was going to run a 'positive' campaign, expecting the media to do the dirty work.

That phase is over. The infatuation could not last, certainly not through November.


He is going to have to go dirty himself, against his own positioning, and that isn't going to play well either.