“Piranhas of the Press” unfair to Sarah Palin, political writer says
The press should be ashamed of how it covered and treated Sarah Palin during and since the campaign, writes Carl M. Cannon, senior Washington correspondent for Politics Daily.
“The true villains in this political morality play may have been the press,” Cannon writes in an article titled “Sarah ‘Barracuda’ Palin and the Piranhas of the Press.”
Cannon describes himself: “I’m not a Republican or a conservative; I’m a lifelong journalist who was born and raised in this profession…” He writes:
The mainstream media is undergoing its demise, drip by drip, day by day, and its practitioners, which include most of my friends in life, are under considerable pressure. In my opinion, however, these pressures do not excuse the treatment accorded Sarah Palin. On the contrary, to me the entire Sarah saga revealed that it wasn’t only the traditional media’s business model that is broken. Our journalism model is busted, too.
He offers numerous examples of what he considers unfair press coverage. And his key example — and the subject of much of his article — is the vice presidential debate held in St. Louis:
The reason is what happened when the battle over Sarah Palin came to a head on Oct. 2, 2008, in St. Louis, Mo. That night, the press showed its colors - and they were Democratic blue. That was the night that Palin cleaned Joe Biden’s clock in their only debate, and nobody in the media could even see it, let alone report it. That was the night that the dual blinders of ideology and elitism prevented us being honest brokers.
Later:
Facts matter, the man said. But they didn’t in 2008, not when it came to Joe Biden (our guy) against Sarah Palin (odd outsider). The ladies and gentlemen of the press were more interested in her hair, her glasses, her wardrobe, her accent, her sex life, her kids’ sex lives, and her hunting habits than in whether her opponent knew anything about foreign policy, the Constitution of the United States, or the job he was running for. They still are. The relentlessly negative coverage of Palin goes on unabated — she’s the subject of a much-ballyhooed hatchet job in Vanity Fair this month — even as Biden makes minor news from time to time by continuing his penchant for gaffes, this time while serving as the second most powerful person in the federal government.
Steve Parker is the deputy managing editor for news, and oversees the Post-Dispatch's front page. STLtoday's online news editors are on his newsroom team. Parker has been at the paper since September 1980. 
Palin cleaned Biden’s clock? Hmmmm. Can I have some of what Mr. Cannon is on? There’s only one loose Cannon here, it seems.
Thank you Carl M. Cannon for finally stepping up and reporting the truth about what really has happened in the mainstream media. They have really gotten to a new low with their focus and reporting and it is just disgusting.
Bailin’ Palin can dish it out but she sure can’t take it. Her excuse, - a Governor that completes their last term is just sandbagging a paycheck. - She doesn’t realize how rude she really is.
Aw, was the nasty old press was big meanie to poor widdle Sarah….Aw, my heart bleed peanut butter, chunky style. News flash: The press doesn’t have to gang up on Palin — she does a far more than adequate job of embarrasing herself every time she opens her vacuous yapper.
Carl, “Loose” Cannon obviously didn’t watch the same debate the rest of us watched. Cleaned Biden’t clock? I don’t think so. Even the extemporaneous liability that Joe is, the day he (or your average 5th-grader) can’t out-debate the woman who puts the Ding in dingbat — well, that will be the day.
Will someone tell Carl that she wasn’t winking at him?
Palin is nothing more than a professional victim. Note that Cannon doesn’t indicate that Palin knew anything about the Constitution or foregin policy - only that he thinks Biden didn’t.
That’s typical conservatism for you. Criticize, but don’t actually stand for anything. No doubt if McCain had actually won the election, Palin would be more interested in “sticking it to liberals” than actually governing.
From the hatred and cynicism that the press showed Governor Palin during the campaign to his assessment of the slow death of mainstream journalism, Carl Cannon could NOT be more correct in his analysis.
Never was I more disgusted (and still am) towards the practitioners of this profession.
How many friends in the business will now shun Mr. Cannon for his statement of the obvious?
Don’t like piranhas? Then stay out of the water.
Liberals hate everything she represents, how is it possible that a smart, attractive woman to make in this world with any help from liberals, they preach that it’s not possible so it blows the whole feminism argument, BTW where were they when she was being slammed for her appearance, etc, oh that’s right they only stand up for liberal women.
Elites can’t stand her because she doesn’t have an Ivy League education, and she’s a “trailer park hick”. News flash, more people in this country identify with folks like her than elitists. GO SARAH!
she didnt clean his clock; that makes the writer an idiot and I dont believe him when he says he’s not republican or conservative; anyone can say that; she did well in the debate; I said so and others did too; so did Joe; I thought they were both the best they could be and I dont remember her being unduly criticized if at all; if that’s the best he’s got, he’s got nothing; press hasnt cost her one vote; some of criticism she invites, and if you dont like the heat, stay out of kitchen; I’ve had my fair share of criticism, dont like it, but comes with territory; you have to know who you are, and tho press’s, media’s opinions sometimes show, they’re human and it’s part of the nature of the beast, and by and large I think the majority try to be fair; Post-Dispatch not included when it comes to the St. Louis Public Schools and the slate their boy Slay backed.