Amy Goodman of Democracy Now: How the Media Is Ruining This Election

[oberliner]

96. Going to respectfully disagree with your points

But I very much appreciate the thoughtful discussion!

The NY Daily News did not have a conflict of interest. The editorial board is independent of Mort Zuckerman and are capable of holding their own opinions even if they don't align with the owner of the newspaper. Having read the Q&A transcript, I think it was actually quite fair. Sanders was given an opportunity to expound on a number of issues, and in particular the ones that are of interest to him. The questions were thoughtful and respectful, as Bernie himself pointed out several times during the discussion. The Daily News did a similar Q&A with Hillary, and I don't think there was any noticeable difference in the way the two candidates were treated by the questioners.

I think the first take was that he didn't do a great job with a couple of the question and so this was discussed a bit in the media. This discussion led to others coming to Bernie's defense and suggesting that he actually did well and that the criticism was unfounded. This seems like a fair exchange of ideas and there are points to be made on either side of this argument.

With respect to Trump, I agree that his coverage was ubiquitous. CNN and other networks talked about him non-stop. But, to be fair, he was saying and doing such outrageous things that it is somewhat understandable. It was certainly more interesting than hearing about a canned speech from Ted Cruz or Jeb Bush. Trump has run a campaign that is unique and startling and he really has turn the Republican party on its head.

I really don't think it is fair to say that Bernie was hidden. As I pointed out, he has been on Meet The Press on a fairly regular basis. I could be wrong about this, but I think he has done more interviews with more networks than Hillary (it certainly feels that way). I could recite to you his stump speech almost verbatim at this point. His presence has been well-established to the point that he has been spoofed regularly on SNL, to great acclaim. He has appeared on shows like The View and Ellen and other talk shows in addition to a host of more serious news programs.

I do agree with you that the MSM is in it for the ratings, but I would asset that this has always been the case. The difference now is that there are so many other sources for information outside of the MSM that are so easily accessible. The media is much more responsive and interactive and it is so easy to get virtually any information one wants to get, without any gatekeepers standing in the way. I can watch interviews Bernie Sanders gave 20 years ago with C Span, just as I can watch one of his campaign appearances in its entirety from yesterday. This, to me, is revolutionary in terms of information access.

Anyway, that's my take on all of this. I realize that we disagree on some key points, but I hope that you will consider the points that I have raised (as I have considered yours).