Too many things to say, really, about this New York Times online opinion piece by former Dole advisor Douglas MacKinnon. But hereâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s just one:
Regarding the Obama phenomenon and the media fascination with him, a senior staffer for a rival Democrat primary opponent offered up this theory to me for part of the bias. This person reasoned that the pressure within the news business to diversify and be politically correct means more minorities, women and young people are being hired. And young and ethnically diverse reporters and editors go easier on candidates who look more like them, are closer to their age or represent their ideal of a presidential candidate
In other words, the media are biased because of affirmative action in the newsroom. Considering newsrooms are still overwhelmingly white (86 percent) and male (63 percent), doesn’t this argument kind of undermine itself? Ah, but the difference is that those young, female and/or minority reporters and editors canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t control their instinct to “go easier on candidates who look more like them”–while all the old, white, male journalists can.
