2008, The Year Journalism Truly Did Die!

I've heard all the right wing talk show hosts repeat this phrase over and over again, but I ignored it mostly as the partisan attention getting statement it is intended to be. But now, with Gwen Ifill moderating the VP debate I would have to agree.
Gwen Ifill is writing a book she did not disclose to the Commission in charge of selecting the moderators for the various presidential debates, nor has she recused herself. Her book, titled Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the age of Obama will review the historic election of Barack Obama as the first African American male nominated to run for president. The interesting thing about this book is it's release date: Inauguration Day.
Should Barack Obama be inaugurated, she will have hit pay dirt, if not, not so much.
The reason I feel journalism has died is not that Gwen Ifill will not necessarily do a fair job at moderating the debate, but that more will not be made of this.
If for instance, Bill Sammon, a Fox News contributor, was selected to be the moderator and he was writing a book about McCain's journey from the Hanoi Hilton to the White House, every news person from GA to Washington would require that Bill recuse himself from this debate. Instead, the debate will go on as planned with limited mention of her financial conflict of interest and with Gwen acting like any other American journalist.
She will make sure she denigrates Sarah Palin for pausing before answering a foreign policy question while letting Biden have a pass for not knowing that FDR did not get on television during the stock market crash of 1929, 1.) because he was not president, Herbert Hooever was, and 2.) because radio, not TV was the medium at the time. (from Biden's interview with Katie Couric)
Or for that matter when Tom Brokaw hosted Nancy Pelosi and asked her about when life is conceived and she said 'I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition … St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose.' I'm pretty sure the Catholic church is clear on their point of view of when a life begins, but interestingly enough, no follow up question from Brokaw.
Wow, welcome to the new Journalism of America. As long as I agree with your point of view, I will not bother with the facts.