Not every person that goes to journalism school becomes a good journalist, and not every good journalist went to J-school. But journalism schools as well as undergraduate journalism programs exist to provide a strong foundation in reporting and at least a general overview of journalistic ethics.
So someone who had studied journalism and graduated college with a degree in journalism should have a basic understanding of the role of the media in a general election, right?
Per Governor Palin's Web site:
"Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla."
Well that's interesting. And she didn't only study journalism; she actually was a real life reporter!
Per US Weekly:
"In 1988, John McCain's Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palinwas a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska.
Sporting serious '80s hair, the 24-year-old, Alaskan native - then Sarah Heath - rattled off Knicks highlights, reported on the Iditarod, and declared that the Dodgers baseball manager Tommy Lasorda needed to learn how to relax."
So how did Palin relate to the media in her acceptance speech at the RNC?
"And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.
But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people."
After all of that, the McCain campaign has the gall (I seem to be saying that a lot these days, don't I?) to accuse the media and the Obama campaign of sexism for investigating this woman's past. This woman, who, if she were still a reporter herself, would probably be asking the very same questions about a 44-year-old Alaskan governor with no national or foreign policy experience and shady earmark dealings, standing behind a 72-year-old in poor health in line for the Oval Office.
Any responsible reporter would ask these questions.
Every responsible reporter should ask these questions.
When I told other women that I was voting for Obama in the primaries, some were appalled. "Don't you want to see a woman in the White House?" they asked.
I do want to see a woman in the White House... Michelle Obama. Offering guidance to her husband, keeping him on his toes, keeping him humble. I wasn't willing to compromise on my values, which led me to Obama, to satisfy my gender, which is part--but not all--of who I am.
No woman should expect special treatment because she has a uterus; we're not going to get any. Women considering voting for McCain because he has a woman on his ticket should consider that he is AGAINST equal pay for women, citing that we need more education and experience to receive higher pay. Has anyone asked Sarah Palin about that?
Al-Qaeda, Iran, Pakistan will not treat us "nicer" because we have a woman vice-president. If she's afraid of the little old American media, how will this inexperienced Alaskan governor take on the world?
To the networks that are agreeing to all sorts of conditions and restrictions in order to be granted an interview with Princess Palin need to think. Is access to this woman, who lies to your face and then trashes the media to the world, worth compromising your journalistic integrity? Why should she get to make the rules?
The current administration has made a mockery of our media, backing them into corners and making threats, withholding press conferences and casting troublemakers out. Enough. The media stuck it to Barack Obama, stuck it to Hillary Clinton, stuck it to McCain, Romney, Huckabee... stick it to Palin. Pigs and pit bulls can wear all the lipstick they want, but this isn't a barn; this is an election.
Enough.