Media credibility problems….take your pick

This time, it’s the Gwen Ifill conflict of interest over moderating the VP debate and writing a book in open admiration of Barack Obama.

The media long ago went from reporting the news, to managing it, to creating it. Though perception is everything.

Andrew McCarthy looks squarely at Newshour features on conflicts of interest, starting with Ifill’s probe of the Italian president’s appearance of impropriety, and listing one after another like that probe.

On it goes: Newshour hounds spanning the globe for the constant variety of insider glad-handing . . . but managing to glide silently by their own studio. 

Gwen Ifill has somehow been chosen to moderate tonight’s vice-presidential debate between the Republican, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, and Democratic senator Joe Biden, the bottom of the ticket for the Obama campaign. Ifill’s task is to project complete objectivity so the public gets — and can have faith that it is getting — a fair fight.

That probably won’t be so credible for those who look at the facts. On the one hand, Ifill dismisses these questions saying she hasn’t even written the section on Obama yet. On the other…..the title of the book is The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.

Furthermore…

In its online description of the book, Doubleday says that Ifill “surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.”

And by the way…

The host of PBS’ “Washington Week” and senior correspondent on “The NewsHour” said she did not tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about the book.

Full disclosure is what she expects of others. Certain others.