Media's praise for McCain is warranted — but where was it in '08?
By Joe Concha, opinion contributor — 08/31/18 11:30 AM EDT
Sen. John McCain's passing last weekend has dominated the news, particularly cable news, over the past week. The life of the former prisoner of war and 2008 presidential candidate is certainly worthy of attention.
But the respect and honesty we're seeing from the 2018 media is a far cry from the Arizona Republican's treatment in 2008. McCain was labeled as a racist, a get-off-my-lawn grouch with a divisive temper, someone whose health should be scrutinized because of his age.
Here's a flashback, courtesy of Pew Research, from the final weeks of the 2008 campaign in terms of the kind of media coverage the Republican presidential nominee received in his race against then-Sen. Barack Obama. Just 14 percent of coverage of McCain was positive from the Republican National Convention that ended on Sept. 4 through the final presidential debate on Oct. 15; 57 percent was negative. Translation: McCain's coverage was negative over positive by a 4-to-1 ratio.
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http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/404543-medias-praise-for-mccain-is-warranted-but-where-was-it-in-08