Who's The Media's Favorite? Media Matters Says McCain
Media Matters Action Network has released a new ad in which presumptive GOP nominee John McCain is portrayed as the favorite candidate of the media. Though McCain has jokingly referred to the media as his "base" in the past, most chatter concerning media favoritism recently has focused on Barack Obama.
The spot shows McCain picking flowers off a sunflower and repeating the words "they love me" as various members of the media are shown speaking positively about the Arizona senator.
"Fed up?" asks an announcer at the end. "Take the pledge to hold the media accountable." (The Media Matters Action Network Web site features a book pushing this same critique called "Free Ride: John McCain And The Media." CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports that Media Matters is spending about $100,000 to air the spot.
Media Matters' conservative counterpart, Media Research Center, meanwhile, writes today that the networks disproportionately covered Obama's trip to Europe. "The Big Three broadcast networks lavished an incredible amount of attention on Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe last week," they write. "Compared to a very similar trip by John McCain last March, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts gave Obama more than ten times the coverage — 92 minutes for the Democrat's eight-day trip, compared to just eight and a half minutes for the Republican's seven-day tour."
Here's the Media Matters spot:
The AFL-CIO, meanwhile, which supports Obama, is sending a mailer to union households in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania trying to knock down rumors about the presumptive Democratic nominee. You can check the mailer out over at National Journal (PDF); it assures voters that Obama wears a flag pin on his lapel, is a Christian, was sworn in on the Bible, was born in America, and places his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge of Allegiance.
The spot shows McCain picking flowers off a sunflower and repeating the words "they love me" as various members of the media are shown speaking positively about the Arizona senator.
"Fed up?" asks an announcer at the end. "Take the pledge to hold the media accountable." (The Media Matters Action Network Web site features a book pushing this same critique called "Free Ride: John McCain And The Media." CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports that Media Matters is spending about $100,000 to air the spot.
Media Matters' conservative counterpart, Media Research Center, meanwhile, writes today that the networks disproportionately covered Obama's trip to Europe. "The Big Three broadcast networks lavished an incredible amount of attention on Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe last week," they write. "Compared to a very similar trip by John McCain last March, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts gave Obama more than ten times the coverage — 92 minutes for the Democrat's eight-day trip, compared to just eight and a half minutes for the Republican's seven-day tour."
Here's the Media Matters spot:
The AFL-CIO, meanwhile, which supports Obama, is sending a mailer to union households in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania trying to knock down rumors about the presumptive Democratic nominee. You can check the mailer out over at National Journal (PDF); it assures voters that Obama wears a flag pin on his lapel, is a Christian, was sworn in on the Bible, was born in America, and places his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge of Allegiance.
