Media Sightings

I have watched with great interest the two party conventions in the United States. There are things I like about each of them; there are things I dislike. One of my concerns is the media spin that is put on these events.

Politicians often complain out of one side of their mouth about media coverage, yet they milk it to death.

Criticism was raised against Princess Diana when she wanted her privacy, yet would contact journalists when it suited her. You just can’t have it both ways.

A bit of that happened last week at the Republican convention. I remember reading about how the family wanted Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter’s pregnancy to be a private matter. Suddenly, the father of the child is at the convention by her side. He didn’t seem to be there at the beginning. Why did he suddenly appear? It certainly got a lot of media attention that wouldn’t have been there had he not arrived.

At both conventions, there were many shots of spouses and kids. What I find odd is that nobody commented that these children seem to be the only ones attending the convention.

Having planned a few conventions, my guess is that there were a few delegates who brought children along. We provided daycare for the children, so their parents could go about doing business.

Although I haven’t done the research, I suspect that both conventions had daycare. Either that or everybody except the candidate families left their children at home, because I didn’t see any.

I have no problem with children who want to see mommy’s or daddy’s finest hour. It is important that they are part of the process. I have difficulty understanding what an infant, who will have no recollection of the event, is doing in the arms of his father and the wife of the presidential candidate. Would not the child be better off asleep in a crib in a quiet room? Why was this baby there?

I think the answer is obvious. The party is playing up to the media. The fact that the baby has Down syndrome portrays the parents as people who understand what it is like to have a child with a disability. It makes them appear nobler. The media eat it up and the public does too. Few stop and ask questions and recognize the media manipulation.

As I said, when the media doesn’t allow this manipulation, both parties will scream about bias and inaccurate reporting. And why not? If you aren’t covering my truth, then I will be upset.

My hope is that the commentators in the media include in their analysis these blatant attempts of branding candidates through means other than the issues they represent. At the end of the day, isn’t that what America wants? It doesn’t matter if you are a hockey mom (a pitbull with lipstick) or that certain Hollywood stars or Oprah supports you. What matters is what the candidates stand for and the good government they hope to provide.