The Big Lie

What to make of media that report as fact rumors that have been debunked and redebunked.

The discounted story was repeated again yesterday by the Boston Globe-Democrat editorial page and last night by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

Can it be any wonder that most people believe it to be true? Most people don't have the time to fact check everything they read. And it's only human to believe something, no matter how implausible, that reinforces what we already think.

But ask yourself this question: Is it really good for us to only hear one side of a story? Is it really OK if the media continues to knowingly reinforce a falsehood?

Has there ever been an unbiased press? Probably not. But I don't remember an election cycle where the media were so openly working for one side. Most of the Talking Heads on TV might as well wear Obama 08 T-shirts. Sarah Palin has been subjected to scrutiny we could only wish someone would apply to Barack Obama. Joe Biden can say Roosevelt went on TV to talk to the people about the stock market crash (Hoover was President when the market crashed and TV was still 10 years away) and the media just goes "Oh, that's just Joe being Joe." He can lie about being under attack in Afghanistan and no one calls him on it. Meanwhile, the "moderator" of tonight's VP debate has a book coming out on Inauguration Day about Barack Obama's effect on black politics. With dollars at stake (who will buy her book if McCain wins?) can she be neutral?

It is a dangerous game we are playing here. Scrutiny should be applied to all four candidates. These people are going to have a lot of power for good or ill. Is it really wise to allow the media to cook the books, to choose for us? Why can we not be trusted to have all the cards on the table and make an informed decision?

Maybe that shows naiveté on my part. But the sword can cut the other way if Obama wins and then disappoints, as surely he will, given his near diety status - who could possibly live up to that?

Oh, wait, what am I saying? He can blame everything on George Bush or racism. It's worked so far.