What’s This Got to Do with Ohio?

Cross-posted at Blue News Tribune, where it is diary number 500.

I try to avoid writing media diaries, preferring the occasional open thread comment. I just think it’s a blog cliche to trash the press. But dang, they do suck sometimes.

A few questions:

1. Name a Democrat who could say this and not have the press freak out:

“It’s the southerners,” he said. “They get on TV and go ‘errrr, errrrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?'”

(You think you’re not kicking the GOP dog when it’s down, but really you’re condescending to them by ignoring this.)

2. The “beer summit” was lose-lose for you, and we all knew it. You couldn’t ignore it. However, you didn’t have to give it the cutesy name, and you certainly didn’t laugh to cover it live. That’s snatching a few wisdom teeth from the jaws of defeat.

3. Your healthcare coverage is terrible. Everyone in public life will share some blame if it fails, but you could be a lot more helpful. Media Matters has a lot more on this.

4. No stupidity allowed.

But in the days to come, away from his home ballpark, things are going to get tougher for Ortiz and his teammates.

If I’m Theo Epstein, I’m pulling off the biggest blockbuster deal I can come up with.

Roy Halladay or Dan Haren or Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez, here we come.

http://www.boston.com/sports/b…

Roy Halladay for an aging slugger with a brand new steroid taint and already having an inconsistent year? There is no way Nick Cafardo thinks that deal can get done. He is just building drama.

What the political equivalent? Oh, there are so many.

5. You don’t get to put the genie back in the bottle. If you carry a guy’s funeral live, you can’t then largely ignore the story that his death might be ruled a homicide. What, is that too much of a bummer? No grieving fans to pander to?

How many “birther” stories have we had? How many of them begin by noting that the story won’t die? I even heard a right-winger (Michael Medved, I think) argue that the left-wing media (so-called) was keeping the story alive because it embarrasses conservatives.

I know the press is touchy, and rightly so, about the constant accusations of political bias from both sides.

But they would slow down quite a bit if some news judgment seemed to govern the coverage.