The media took its share of lumps this year, with persistent claims of bias and complaints about often wrong-headed speculation from a seemingly endless parade of talking heads. Of course, there was great reporting, with journalists breaking news and penning terrific profiles of the candidates and the campaigns. TV ratings and Web traffic were through the roof, evidence of huge voter interest. But there were plenty of missteps on the way, and Politico compiled a list of 2008’s greatest blunders (along with a look at how the media responded to each).
Were there worse media mishaps we've missed? Politico invites readers — never shy to tell us reporters when we're wrong — to comment below and let us know what should have made the cut.
1) New Hampshire primary: Pundits predicted a campaign-ending, double-digit loss long before the polls closed, and some networks, perhaps disbelieving the results, didn’t call the election until after Obama had already conceded. "I will never underestimate Hillary Clinton again,” Chris Matthews said on MSNBC.
Response: The New Hampshire debacle came up again and again, especially when cable talking heads began saying Obama had sewn up the nomination. But many pundits, perhaps wary of repeating their previous mistake, kept up with the claim the race was neck and neck well after the delegate math no longer gave Clinton any opening.
2) The New York Times' McCain-Iseman story: There was so much hype leading up to The Times' front-page investigation of John McCain’s relationship with lobbyists — dating back at least to a Drudge leak two months earlier — that without something concrete, the story was doomed to fail. Executive Editor Bill Keller said there’s more to the piece than the strongly suggested, never outright stated, romantic relationship between the senator with lobbyist Vikki Iseman, but that’s what the public seized upon. The Times put it out there but couldn’t prove it, leading both the right and the left to slam the piece.
Response: The campaign sparred publicly with the Gray Lady throughout the campaign, using the liberal media as a whipping boy when it needed to rally the base, and the paper often appeared to return the favor, most notably in an hostile October profile of wife Cindy McCain.
more . . .
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16789.html