Imbalance in Coverage: Obama Dominates Headlines, McCain Fades into Background
Throughout this year’s presidential campaigns, some readers of The Jewish Week have expressed their dissatisfaction with what they perceive as an imbalance in our coverage. They believe that Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has received significantly more attention on our front page than Sen. John McCain, his GOP rival.
While this criticism is valid in terms of the number of stories, it is essential to note that this imbalance is not due to any pro-Obama bias from our editors or reporters. Instead, it is a result of the way the campaigns have unfolded, particularly with regards to appealing to Jewish voters, who are of special interest to our readers.
The Obama campaign has demonstrated remarkable media savvy, ensuring their candidate remains in the spotlight even during the slower summer months when election-year media frenzy typically wanes. Moreover, Obama has made news that is relevant to our community, such as his surprising announcement of support for a variation of the Bush administration’s faith-based initiative, his comments about an undivided Jerusalem followed by a subsequent clarification, and his recent trip to Israel.
In comparison, the McCain campaign’s efforts, as highlighted in a recent story by The Jewish Week, have yet to effectively engage Jewish voters. Consequently, Sen. McCain has not generated the same focused news coverage as his Democratic rival. However, it is worth mentioning that McCain’s familiarity among Jewish voters has helped him secure better poll results compared to previous Republican candidates. He has not felt the need to introduce himself extensively to a political segment already familiar with his beliefs and values.
It is important to note that The Jewish Week is not alone in grappling with this challenge. Mainstream media outlets across the board have been actively discussing the difficulty of maintaining neutrality when one candidate appears to generate significantly more news than the other.
We want to assure our readers that we are cognizant of these concerns and will strive to avoid any hint of bias in our news coverage. However, we will continue to report stories as we perceive them, even if that means producing more stories about one candidate than the other. This is the nature of the news business.
In conclusion, The Jewish Week is committed to providing fair and balanced coverage of the presidential campaigns. We acknowledge the imbalance in coverage but emphasize that it is a reflection of the campaigns themselves rather than any editorial bias. Our aim is to deliver quality news content that informs and engages our readers, and we will continue to uphold this commitment throughout the election season.
Gary Rosenblatt served as the editor and publisher of The Jewish Week from 1993 to 2019. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of NYJW or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
