The Republican convention may be over, but the Sarah Palin phenomenon continues to be the big campaign newsmaker. Last week, the media took a closer look at her record, she sat for her first interview, and lipstick entered the realm of political wedge issues.
Even the Palin phenomenon took a back seat last week as a profound crisis in the financial markets dominated the headlines. In a campaign season of constantly changing storylines, will this become the dominant issue that determines the outcome?
In a week in which he injected both suspense and personal dramatics into the campaign storyline, Republican John McCain was the leading newsmaker. But after a debate that the public scored differently than the press, it was Barack Obama getting the more positive headlines.
The future of the automobile industry became a major component of the country’s ongoing economic problems last week, and speculation about Obama’s cabinet appointments reached a new level.
The 2008 race for the White House has once again seen intensifying complaints about media bias, most recently from the McCain camp. The charges have ranged from liberalism, to sexism, and more. A new PEJ review offers an historical perspective on the evolution of the tenuous relationship between press and political leaders.
