The press is too hard on John McCain!
A study by journalism.org says that the press has published far more negative stories about John McCain than about either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Conservatives will have a heyday with this one, citing it as one more example of The Liberal Media.
Only problem is that it’s a crock.
If you read the actual report, the primary “negative” storyline on McCain was that he isn’t conservative enough.
That’s hardly negative. In fact, it reinforces his campaign’s central message, that he is a maverick and hence more worthy of being elected, not less. In primary after primary, that “moderate” image served him well in the big battleground states he needed for the nomination.
Negative indeed.
Update: Mark Jurkowitz from journalism.org responded promptly with this reply:
Thanks very much for your note about our new campaign study. As this paragraph from our overview indicates, the idea of someone not being a reliable conservative could certainly be problematic in the context of a Republican primary race. But in a general election, it surely has more nuanced and complex implications—and would likely broaden his appeal to certain voters.
“For McCain, one master narrative stands out above all in the coverage—that he is not a true or reliable conservative. More than five in 10 of all the assertions studied about McCain conveyed that idea, about six times as many as the number of assertions rebutting it. While this narrative—not conservative enough—might have been a problem for him in the primary race, it is harder to evaluate its implications for the general election. If McCain is seen as a maverick, someone not tied to President Bush, it will likely enhance his standing among independents and moderate swing Democrats. Yet lack of conservative credentials could also dampen turnout among some of the GOP base.”
