Bush vs. Kerry vs. the Media

摘要

As long as there has been an American press, our elections have been fought in the media. What's notable about Election 2004 is how much of it was fought against the media. Throughout the campaign, Democrats complained about an unholy alliance of Fox News, Matt Drudge, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Rush Limbaugh et al., who former contender Al Gore charged constituted a G.O.P. "fifth column" within the press. The flak came from both sides. During their last debate, President Bush chided John Kerry, "I'm not so sure it's credible to quote leading news organizations," nodding toward moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS. It was a not-so-subtle allusion to the bungled 60 Minutes story about Bush's National Guard service, which the President's backers saw as proof that the media had it in for him.