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Media, fight for right to tough questions

Submitted, letter to the editor
Published: October 29, 2008

“This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election,” wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign.

This was in response to a television reporter asking Sen. Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, some tough questions. She asked if Obama isn’t being a Marxist with the “spreading the wealth” comment. She wondered if the Delaware senator was saying America’s days as the world’s leading power were over.

The Obama-Biden campaign is shutting them out. They cancelled another interview with Biden’s wife. If the media have even one shred of integrity, they should not let this stand. If the media allow Obama to get away with this, there will never be a real question asked ever again.

Reporters will go to jail to protect their sources. Reporters will fight for every expansion of the First Amendment. Will they fight for the right to ask a tough question? Will they fight to support one of their own? Will they fight in order for the public to be informed? Or will they buckle and be insignificant?

Phil Lynch
Fishersville

Reader Reactions

Posted by ( ChrisGraham ) on October 29, 2008 at 11:41 pm

Republicans do it here, too. The Augusta Free Press criticized Bob Goodlatte for using his franking privilege to mislead Sixth District voters into believing that he had supported the New GI Bill when he had actually voted against it, and the thanks for that was a big fat no when a columnist requested credentials to a recent fundraiser featuring Goodlatte and Newt Gingrich.

If the local media allows Goodlatte to get away with this, there will never be a real question asked of the congressman again. Agreed, Phil?

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