Recent news coverage of the political and personal dramas of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been personally troubling. I am not upset by Palin's persona nor politics, but by the media's presentation of them. As a young adult who has only recently stumbled into the arena of politics, I entered expecting a professional, pragmatic discussion. I find it difficult to pardon the media's presentation of a biased portrait of the candidate.
Many complications of Palin's personal life have seeped into political coverage. Published under the heading of politics, both liberal and conservative media outlets are flooded with news of her daughter's extramarital pregnancy. Juxtaposed with other political coverage, Palin's personal affairs might as well be celebrity gossip. Although the coverage certainly downplays her credibility, it fails to detail her government policies. Where her political beliefs have made their way into the media, they are consistently scorned. This is done from both sides of the political spectrum: the far right presents her policies as contrary to those of her running mate, John McCain, while the far left brands them as irrational and unfounded.
Palin seems to have been subjected to an unparalleled hazing ritual upon her entrance into mainstream media. Even more, her own voice has been effectively silenced. Palin's policies that are in accordance with McCain's have so far received minimal coverage. It should seem as though the demand for scandal has outweighed that of actual politics. This has left me straining to excavate information on her ideas and ideals.
I think this portrayal to be extremely unprofessional on the media's part. A majority of mainstream news has failed to provide objective information, which I require in order to research a leading political candidate. This kind of journalism is warped; and it is extremely misleading to myriad youths who are beginning to participate in political debate. Because of this realization, I am growing more skeptical of the way politics are presented. All things considered, this is undeniably a rewarding lesson.
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