Spring Break
Kucinich Exit An Effect Of Biased Process
Daniel Wilkinson
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Commentary
NBC Correspondent Kevin Corke defended the company's position with a predictable callousness for the rights of both Kucinich and voters-at-large.
"Most people want to hear what Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Barack Obama have to say," Corke said. "After all, those are probably the three they're going to be picking from."
Corke's projection of the future Democratic front-runner, regardless of how certain he might be, remains a guess. It is an uncertainty. Since when did the media become officiator of America's democratic process?
NBC's decision was not new. ABC News denied Kucinich, Democratic candidate Mike Gravel (Alaska) and Republican candidate Duncan Hunter (Calif.) from participating in the New Hampshire debates on Jan. 5. But, certainly that does not make it right. Presidential debates are designed to showcase the beliefs of all eligible candidates amongst the Republicans and Democrats. Many candidates who lack powerful financial bases, such as Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, rely on debates to gain name recognition and exposure. Without this outlet, underfinanced campaigns are doomed from the beginning. Without the blessing of NBC and ABC, Kucinich could not compete.
In light of the situation, one cannot help but wonder what NBC might have done if they had hosted a Republican debate. Surely, they would not have reduced a field of six viable candidates to three. If they had, they again would have effectively endorsed three of the candidates when the campaigns of some, most notably Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani, are relying on Feb. 5 lottery of primaries for their slingshot towards nomination. They would have possibly ended the campaigns of a number of very serious candidates.
Unfortunately, the Kucinich debacle is merely a blemish on the indelible mark the media has cut across the American consciousness over the last few years. The media has fallen slave to their own polls. Rather than strive for relevant journalism, the media has bombarded the public with predictable slop, and their tampering with the election process is no exception. Britney Spears' latest court arraignments dot the front pages of our major newspapers while America fights a trillion dollar war in the Middle East. In the end, the weight for change lies on the back of the public. They need to voice objections to the spurious actions taken by media, and fight for objective journalism. The media relies on the public for incentive and their paychecks stop with the public's purchases. In this case, the public needs to send a message.
Staff columnist Daniel Wilkinson is an 8th-semester journalism major. He can be reached at Daniel.Wilkinson@UConn.edu.
"Most people want to hear what Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Barack Obama have to say," Corke said. "After all, those are probably the three they're going to be picking from."
Corke's projection of the future Democratic front-runner, regardless of how certain he might be, remains a guess. It is an uncertainty. Since when did the media become officiator of America's democratic process?
NBC's decision was not new. ABC News denied Kucinich, Democratic candidate Mike Gravel (Alaska) and Republican candidate Duncan Hunter (Calif.) from participating in the New Hampshire debates on Jan. 5. But, certainly that does not make it right. Presidential debates are designed to showcase the beliefs of all eligible candidates amongst the Republicans and Democrats. Many candidates who lack powerful financial bases, such as Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, rely on debates to gain name recognition and exposure. Without this outlet, underfinanced campaigns are doomed from the beginning. Without the blessing of NBC and ABC, Kucinich could not compete.
In light of the situation, one cannot help but wonder what NBC might have done if they had hosted a Republican debate. Surely, they would not have reduced a field of six viable candidates to three. If they had, they again would have effectively endorsed three of the candidates when the campaigns of some, most notably Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani, are relying on Feb. 5 lottery of primaries for their slingshot towards nomination. They would have possibly ended the campaigns of a number of very serious candidates.
Unfortunately, the Kucinich debacle is merely a blemish on the indelible mark the media has cut across the American consciousness over the last few years. The media has fallen slave to their own polls. Rather than strive for relevant journalism, the media has bombarded the public with predictable slop, and their tampering with the election process is no exception. Britney Spears' latest court arraignments dot the front pages of our major newspapers while America fights a trillion dollar war in the Middle East. In the end, the weight for change lies on the back of the public. They need to voice objections to the spurious actions taken by media, and fight for objective journalism. The media relies on the public for incentive and their paychecks stop with the public's purchases. In this case, the public needs to send a message.
Staff columnist Daniel Wilkinson is an 8th-semester journalism major. He can be reached at Daniel.Wilkinson@UConn.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
JoeC
posted 1/25/08 @ 2:03 PM EST
Actually, Kucinich was excluded from the following debates by the following corporations: Iowa (USA Today affiliate paper), New Hampshire (ABC/Disney), Nevada (MSNBC/ General Electric), and South Carolina (CNN/Time Warner). (Continued…)
Pat G
posted 1/27/08 @ 10:47 PM EST
I am outraged that the most likely candidate to separate our nation from the lawlessness, criminality and dishonor that has characterized the Bush administration has been knee-capped by the colluding propaganda arm of the corporation-backed neocons. (Continued…)
Post a Comment