Chalk Another Up For Objective Media?

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Questions are being raised about the objectivity of Thursday's vice presidential debate moderator after news surfaced that she is releasing a new book that appears to promote Barack Obama and other black politicians who have benefited from the civil rights struggle.

Gwen Ifill, of PBS' "The NewsHour," is expected to remain as moderator, however.
"The book has been a known factor for months, so I'm not sure what the big deal is," said NewsHour spokeswoman Anne Bell.

She told FOXNews.com that there were no concerns about Ifill's neutrality, and that the debate Thursday between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden would go forward as planned. Ifill also moderated the 2004 vice presidential debate.

---It really just depends on her professionalism. Everybody in media has a bias; everyone. But some are able to put them aside and do a professional job. More and more lately, the objectivity of the MSM has been shoved aside. Hopefully, this will not be the case tonight. We will see.

D.B.

Update: I ran across this article by Michelle Malkin on Gwen Ifill's "objectivity". Makes me a little less confident of Ifell's desire for objectivity, if this is true. Here are some interesting highlights, in Malkin's words.

• The title of Ifill's book? "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama." Nonpartisan my foot.
• The moderator expected to treat both sides fairly has grandiosely declared this the "Age of Obama." Can you imagine a right-leaning journalist writing a book about the "stunning" McCain campaign and its "bold" path to reform timed for release on Inauguration Day -- and then expecting a slot as a moderator for the nation's sole vice presidential debate?

During the Republican National Convention, the PBS ombudsman fielded numerous complaints about Ifill's coverage of Sarah Palin's speech. Wrote Brian Meyers of Granby, Ct.:

"I was appalled by Gwen Ifill's commentary directly following Gov. Sarah Palin's speech. Her attitude was dismissive and the look on her face was one of disgust. Clearly, she was agitated by what most critics view as a well-delivered speech. It is quite obvious that Ms. Ifill supports Obama as she struggled to say anything redemptive about Gov. Palin's performance. I am disappointed in Ms. Ifill's complete disregard for journalistic objectivity."

Like Obama, Ifill, who is black, is quick to play the race card at the first sign of criticism. In an interview with the Washington Post a few weeks ago, she carped: "[N]o one's ever assumed a white reporter can't cover a white candidate."

It's not the color of your skin, sweetie. It's the color of your politics. Perhaps Ifill will be able to conceal it this week. But if the "stunning" "Breakthrough" she's rooting for comes to pass on Jan. 20, 2009, nobody will be fooled.