No Negativity, No News Coverage

Bill Hobbs notes that the news media don't focus on positive campaigning, only on negative campaigning. Like a pervert, the media lifts a girl's dress and shouts outrage by pointing out her underwear.

In Virginia, the "macaca" campaign which defined the race between Senator Allen and challenger Webb, was entirely the production of the Washington Post and then amplified by the rest of the MSM. That fact, and that alone has led to one of the most mean-spirited campaigns in memory and it can be laid at the door of the "prestige" mainstream media.

From Bill's article:

What portion of campaign ads in presidential campaigns did you find were negative?
Over the last 44 years there has been an increase in negativity. But it's basically a 50-50 divide. But if you were to listen to coverage of campaigns you'd think you only get negative ads.
...reflects directly on The Tennessean and the rest of the Nashville news media, which seem to be covering only those races this election year in which one or both sides are launching negative ads.

There's the Corker-Ford race for the U.S. Senate, of course. Also, the media has covered the 17th District state Senate race, where the attack ads are flying between incumbent Sen. Mae Beavers and former Sen. Bob Rochelle. The media also has covered the 23rd district state Senate race, where well-funded Democratic nominee Mary Parker has launched a vicious and false attack ad against Republican nominee Jack Johnson.

But the media ignores the 21st district state Senate race between 36-year-incumbent state Sen. Doug Henry, the Democrat, and Republican challenger Bob Krumm, in which there have been no attack ads and nothing but civility between the two sides.

Why? Is it because the media believes Henry unlikely to lose? Then why do they care about the 23rd district race between Johnson and Parker? The 23rd district, after all, is heavily Republican and Johnson, the GOP nominee, is the heavy favorite. The 21st district, where political newcomer Krumm, 40, is taking on 80-year-old Sen. Henry, who was elected in 1970 before thousands of district's residents were even born, is much more evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

And this morning, the Virginian Pilot's front page morphed into their editorial page with the headline article. It's a puff piece about Jim Webb, the candidate they endoresed on their editorial page a few days ago. We are invited to go to their on-line issue to find out about Senator Allen.