Don't be swept away by hype in the Palin campaign

[Commentary] Political campaigns of all stripes strive to "create their own realities." But while reporters have ridiculed Democrat Michael Dukakis for riding in a tank and belittled Barack Obama for the Greek columns at his nomination speech, Republicans have succeeded in turning the manipulation of myth into an art form. That's been evident this week as Rove protégé and Sen. John McCain's adviser Steve Schmidt has steadied the ship of Sarah Palin's rollout. First, he bullied the news media into submission. Then the campaign pushed an unrelenting portrayal of her as a maverick. If the public is to make sound decisions, to sort what's real from what's manufactured, the media must do their job with greater consistency and greater care. 1) The media should redouble efforts to unearth facts and spend far less time on speculation and titillation. 2) The media need to reexamine the meaning of journalistic objectivity. It is not to give equal weight and space to each side of an issue. It is to report fully and fairly. 3) The media should regularly explain what reporters do and why. Lanson concludes: "Only a vigilant media can keep Machiavellian calculations of contemporary campaigns from fooling enough people enough of the time to make such deceit the deciding factor in our elections." (Jerry Lanson teaches journalism at Emerson College in Boston.)