Media Tougher On Obama After SNL Skit, Study Finds

[THUNDER HANDS]

Media tougher on Obama after SNL skit, study finds

Critical content increases after satire showed reporters fawning over him while grilling Clinton

Mar 05, 2008 04:30 AM
David Bauder
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK–Life imitating art or just a coincidence? A study of campaign coverage found the media took a sharper look at Barack Obama the week after Saturday Night Live spoofed journalists enthralled by his candidacy. The NBC comedy show on Feb. 23 opened with a mock debate in which journalists were rough on Hillary Clinton while being starry-eyed about Obama. It matched complaints the Clinton campaign had made – and she even referenced the comedy skit during a real debate last week.

During the week, Obama was the dominant person in 69 per cent of presidential campaign stories, according to a study by Project for Excellence in Journalism. That's the biggest percentage one candidate had received in any week this year. Many of the stories took a tough look at Obama, such as a Feb. 25 ABC World News study on his Illinois legislative record and a CBS Evening News report on his career three nights later.

It's hard to say whether SNL acted as a de facto assignment editor, since some of the stories were probably being prepared before the NBC show aired, but it did seem to crystallize a thought that had been percolating, said Mark Jurkowitz, the project's associate director. "There were a lot of factors at play. But there's no question the skit, if nothing else, was perfectly timed."

With no primaries last week, news outlets had the time to look at other stories, as well as the time to look at their own performance. The Washington Post, New York Times and ABC's Good Morning America all ran stories addressing whether the media has been fairly covering the Obama-Clinton contest.

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/309461

[featherman]

1. Working the refs works apparently

There is an ebb and flow here also with the MSM desire to keep the race going by knocking down the frontrunner

[SteppingRazor]

2. I dunno. Really tough to call it cause and effect.

Just as easily, the skit could have been part of the same zeitgeist that made reporters take a more critical look at Obama.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. well, that may be true

but you also have to factor in the reason for his positive coverage and her negative coverage.

He was on a winning streak. He was appealing to broad groups of people and bringing new people into the party. He's also almost single-handedly responsible for the huge turnouts in these states.

And she was running a bitter, angry campaign while her surrogates were trying to scare people away from him or belittle his supporters.

Any negative coverage she got could be well-deserved.

[BOSSHOG]

3. So that means what?

They weren't tough on him before? He needs to contend with a tough media if he is going to be the nominee because the swift boat trash of the right wing will slash and burn our candidate (regardless of who it is) unmercifully.

[Window]

5. The only good thing from SNL, is that they called Hillary a bitch.

:rofl:

[flyarm]

6. they had to be embarrassed ..that they were tinkling down their legs for Obama..

or was that tingling down their legs..ask tweety...whatever ...same difference.

I hope SNL keeps it up and now shows the love fest by KO toward Obama..fuckkkkkkkkk no other candidate got a
fair shot by him..it is now in my opinion..and yes it is mine..Fox left..

As an Edwards supporter..i stopped watching Keith and MSNBC entirely after Iowa..i said i will not be a rating for their fellatio of Obama.

no thanks i pass..and ya know what..i don't even miss it..my blood pressure is down..and i am enjoying movies for the first time in 8 years!

what a shame a comedy show has to point out how fucked up our media is and how stupid we are to let our media decide who we have as our candidates and president.


well i won't be party to it..i will watch SNL again..hadn't watched it in years..but they have me back again as an appreciative viewer.

oh and i have no dog in this fight i don't give a darn about either of these candidates..i just want it fair...and it has not been! Not by a long shot ..and especially by MSNBC.

fly

[ProSense]

12. The media being tougher on Hillary than anyone else is a myth!

It is true she gets the most coverage than any other candidate, but there are valid reasons why the coverage appears more negative

[JimGinPA]

7. K&R

[dflprincess]

8. Gee if all it takes is an SNL skit to make the MSM change it's a real pity

they didn't do any skits about the media helping Bush lie us into the war. Maybe it could have been avoided.

[rodeodance]

9. Good--they admit they have given Obama the kid glove approach!

[NJmaverick]

10. No doubt, but did they really need a study

The media jumped like a trained poodle, when Hillary said to jump. That's pretty obvious.

[Diane R]

11. So her little temper tantrum worked. Just what we need.

[tom_paine]

13. The Modern Imperial Amerikan Media is a weak reed, a cowardly, toadying organization

It bends it's knee to whoeever has the power, it is so used to be being worked and pushed around and spineless that, yes, I have no doubt an SNL skit can influence it as much as Limabugh and hannity can.

We are, without a doubt, the generations of Americans leats deserving of the legacy of the Founding Fathers that was handed down to us. Which is why it's gone now.

And our Toady MSM is the banner carrier for this weakest, most disgraceful conglomeration of Americans ever to inhabit our nation. The standard bearers of cowardice and self-enslavement. In short, the media that we current Imperial Subjects of Amerika deserve.

[WHAT]

14. snl is the media...

nt