Journalism

The campaign press declared Barack Obama’s Nov. 4 victory a culturally transforming event, but was far less certain it was a politically transforming moment. And within days, the search for lessons had yielded to speculation about the new administration.

In the final week of the campaign, both presidential candidates continued to pound away at each other’s economic policies. But as they examined the details of the last polls, the battlegrounds, and the strategy, the media had all but anointed a winner.

Colin Powell’s endorsement and Joe Biden’s gaffe were almost one-day wonders last week as the news cycle sped up in the campaign’s final days. Now, it’s battleground states and polls that seem to be capturing much of the media’s attention.

The final presidential debate was the top campaign storyline last week. And both candidates rolled out major economic packages. But perhaps the most memorable event was the media descending on an unlikely new voice of the working class.

The stock market tanked, and the candidates took citizen questions during a presidential debate. But with Election Day looming in less than a month, the media spotlight last week was trained on the hostile rhetoric heard on the campaign trail.

The 2008 race for the White House has once again seen intensifying complaints about media bias, most recently from the McCain camp. The charges have ranged from liberalism, to sexism, and more. A new PEJ review offers an historical perspective on the evolution of the tenuous relationship between press and political leaders.

Coverage of the nation’s financial crisis reached new heights last week as Congress struggled to produce a bailout package. But when it came to the presidential campaign narrative, the match-up in Missouri proved more interesting to the media.