Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift, in particular, railed about the unfairness of it all. I thought maybe I had missed something, so I followed Swift into the hallway.
I asked her to name the legitimate news outlet that had smeared McCain's running mate. Swift looked crestfallen.
"Well, the Daily Kos," she finally offered, citing the blog where political lefties go to post their rants.
"How about one big mainstream news organization?" I prodded. "There must be one that has smeared Gov. Palin."
Swift seemed confused. She looked toward an aide. Surrounded by a scrum of reporters, she lowered her head and moved away.
That's because partisans don't feel one iota of guilt about damaging the press, one of our most important institutions, if it helps them rouse their core supporters. Why not slam all the media for smearing Sarah Palin, rather than single out the tabloids or blogs that have earned the derision?
Jay Rosen, who teaches journalism at New York University and writes extensively about the media, has an explanation. He sees the Republicans launching nothing less than a "culture war."
The partisans go to war with the dangerous, liberal and, by implication, unpatriotic mainstream media. That throws them into alliance with real Americans. Real Americans like Sarah Palin.
Palin proved herself no weakling Wednesday night, offering up "those reporters and commentators" who doubt her as unworthy of her attention. That set off a raucous demonstration in the hall, as delegates faced reporters and chanted, "Tell the truth!"
This cynical approach says it's just fine to ignore the question if your answer won't cut it. Just demonize the questioner and move on.
But most real reporters -- and their audiences, filled with real people -- deserve better.
--
james.rainey@latimes.com
