Editorial

2008 – The year journalism really died

Myra Adams Contributor
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Is anyone honestly surprised by the revelations that members of the liberal left media plotted to kill stories about Reverend Jeremiah Wright during the 2008 presidential campaign?

For the now-defunct Journolist, a once powerful listserv, its members’ greatest fear was if Obama’s pastor story ran unchecked by them, re-plays of Reverend Wright’s sermons would be aired continuously during the primary battles, thus hurting the chances of The Chosen One, (chosen by us, of course.)   Then, if Obama cleared the Hillary hurdle, voters would be hearing those sermons up until Election Day. This they knew would ultimately hurt the potential electability of the first African American president, who happened to be sitting in the pews for 20 years listening to these unspeakable sermons.

But no worry, candidate Obama never actually heard any of those sermons.  So let’s just drop it, OK?  Meanwhile let’s call all those nasty Republicans “racists” for wanting to explore this story.  That will stop them!  So now you know Journolist group think, circa 2008.

Now thanks to The Daily Caller, truth has come from darkness.  Which makes me realize this is the best time to be Sean Hannity, for he has been supremely vindicated and here’s why.

During the 2008 campaign I was a frequent listener to his radio show. So I remember when Hannity first reported about Obama’s radical pastor back in mid – 2007, when no one was paying any attention to a freshman senator who had no chance of ever defeating Queen Hillary.

Then in 2008, Obama rose in stature, and unrelated to Hannity, the Reverend Wright story “broke.”  Did it ever —- and then it just went away, except on the Sean Hannity Show.

After Obama won the nomination, Hannity would rant and rave about how Barack Obama was a leftist, socialist, radical with a questionable history of friendships and associations.

He did not let up day after day. As a result Hannity’s ratings went through the roof. I believe this was because most listeners believed what he said was true, and they were not getting much truth almost anywhere else in a media landscape completely smitten by Barack Obama.  And yes, Hannity was not afraid to play “the best of” Reverend Wright’s sermons on a regular basis.

I was struck by how Hannity would always say 2008 was the year journalism died.

He was always talking about how the main stream media were NOT doing their job investigating this man who came from nowhere, who we did not know, and now was about to be elected President of Hannity’s America.

So fast forward to The Daily Caller’s revelations about the Journolist’s media manipulations and now we can declare with great certainty, that 2008 was in fact The Year Journalism Died.

It’s not just for Sean Hannity listeners anymore.

Most important, this tawdry tale must serve as a wake up call for our nation, and these questions must be raised: Is our free press really free if it’s able to be manipulated by powerful journalists, whose names we do not know, who have pre-determined who should hold the highest office in the land? If presidential campaign coverage can be manipulated, can you imagine how easy other issues can be manipulated by the media?  Is our nation really ruled by a small group of media liberals who know what is best for us?  God help us if that is true and God Bless Sean Hannity for staying true to truth.

Myra Adams is a media producer, writer and political observer. Her media clients have included national associations, political interest groups and corporations. She was on the creative team with Mark McKinnon that created the now infamous John Kerry “Windsurfing” ad for the Bush 2004 presidential campaign and served on the McCain Ad Council during the 2008 McCain campaign. Myra’s web site TheJesusStore.com contributes all profits to Christian charity.