Palin Rips Into Media Coverage Of Her Campaign

In an interview with conservative documentary filmmaker John Ziegler conducted at her Wasilla home, Sarah Palin said she was the victim of unfair media coverage and wondered aloud whether Democrat Caroline Kennedy would benefit from fawning treatment from the press in her bid to become the junior senator from New York because of her social class.

"I've been interested to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled and if she will be handled with kid gloves or if she will be under such a microscope," Palin said. "It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out, and I think that as we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy versus, say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be."

Portions of the interview, which was conducted for Ziegler's upcoming film, "How Obama Got Elected," were released on YouTube.

A journalism major in college, Palin was a frequent critic of media coverage during her vice presidential campaign but repeatedly affirmed her respect for the Fourth Estate, even offering to do what she could to make improvements in journalistic ethics.

Palin told Ziegler that if she had been Barack Obama's running mate rather than McCain's, media coverage of her would have been much more positive. But she declined to assert that perceived liberal bias was the primary reason for the treatment she received from the press during her two-month national campaign.

"Is it political? Is it sexism?" she asked. "What is it that drives someone to believe the worst and perpetuate the worst in terms of gossip and lies?"

Watch portions of the interview below:



Update Jan. 9, 11 a.m.: The Early Show interviewed pundits Bay Buchanan and Joe Lockhart on Friday morning. You can watch their exchange below.

[ladypirate2]

wendyj7: You are right!

[andie52]

Palin and her family have had more than there share of media attention how much longer will she keep trying to put herself in the spotlight with additional uniformed comments?

[wendyj7]

I do feel Palin was treated differently.She''s right about alot of what she said.Anyone who is a true independent can see that.Was she ready for the VP job?I''m not sure.But as an average hard working lower income american.I could relate to her in a way I couldn''t with most pliticians.The teatment she got made me realize how most people feel, about those of us that are very much like her.People even make fun of her regional accent and dialect.I felt that also was terrible.People made it sound like her accent made her not inteligent.It''s all so wrong.

[merlgrey]

if nothing else this does prove even the worlds greatest failures have a loyal following.

kind of like belonging to an AMC Gremlin or Ford Pinto fan club.

[anillafield]

You know, I actually agree with the Republicans. Sarah Palin would be the ideal Republican candidate in 2012. She is the very incarnation of the Republcan mentality; her intellect, depth of knowledge and moral integrity represent the "Joe 6 packs" everywhere. She is the female version of G.W.Bush. And her presence will guarantee the Republican loss in 2012.

[flcracker5th]

Sexist bias in the media did not do her in. Men and women love beautiful women.The camera loved her. The more she talked, the more a deep lack of general knowledge was revealed. Her lack of critical thinking/analysis skills necessary to hold your own on a world level was glaring. Running as VP to an old man with health probs, she had to prove herself worth of the Presidency. She shd be proud of all she''s accomplished. She also needs to recognize her own shortcomings. There were no trick questions in that Couric interview. My 3 kids who range in age from 20 - 25 know more about world events, geography, American history,how the US govt works than Palin does. There is so much she does not know and does not appear to even realize she needs to learn, as evidenced by her blaming sexism rather than taking responsibility for being out of her depth in seeking national office at this time). Conversely, Obama the more we got to see and hear of Obama, the more his knowledge, thinking skills, and leadership were revealed. All these things revealed a breadth of knowledge and critical thinking/analysis skills that are necessary to effectively be US Pres.She was done in by herself, not by the media.Continuing on this path of denial about her own complicity in people''s perceptions won''t help. She should shut up and start reading, studying,listening.

[ladypirate2]

USA-No1: I completely agree with you! In fact you said what I''ve been saying for the last four months!

[merlgrey]

palin is dilusional.

d i l u s i o n a l.

dilusional.

[ladypirate2]

harbinger09: Levi''s father said that he thought that it was his influence that got Levi the job, not Sarah Palin. He said that Sarah had nothing to do with it. And about Levi quitting the job, he more than likely quit because he knew he was about to be fired because he didn''t have a high school diploma. If that is true then I don''t blame him. I would have quit, too, before being fired! The oil company knew when they hired him that he didn''t have a diploma. That information was on his application, which they said was lost, and yet they hired him anyway! If they had such a strict policy about not hiring apprentices who don''t have a high school diploma they shouldn''t have hired him in the first place! However, in a few months when he finishes his correspondence courses and earns his diploma or his GED he can apply again. This time he will be eligible!

[ladypirate2]

treknutz: sean7phil is right! It''s about time the CEO''s of the companies that own the news outlets told their reporters that their job is to report the news, not slant it to their way of thinking. Their job is to give unbiased interviews to candidates, too. They are not supposed to let their opinion of that candidate show one way or the other. Their job is to treat them all fairly and ask them all the same kind of questions about their programs and the issues that are facing this country and how, if elected, they will fix those issues and that''s all! They are not supposed to ask them personal questions about their family and they are not supposed to ask them stupid questions like the one that Katie Couric asked Sarah about what magazines that she reads! That was stupid and insulting! It implied that the people in Alaska either can''t or don''t read! Katie should apologize for that one!