Rep. Michele Bachmann’s campaign put CBS analyst John Dickerson on blast after Dickerson accidentally sent an email admitting that the Congresswoman wasn’t going to receive many questions at the CBS/National Journal debate because she’s polling in sixth place:
Minnesota Congresswoman’s Michele Bachmann’s campaign staff went ballistic after one of her communications director, Alice Stewart, was mistakenly CC’d on an internal CBS News email. In the message, newly minted political director John Dickerson said he’d rather interview someone else on his post-debate webshow. Congresswoman Bachmann’s staffers responded by accusing CBS of bias and calling for Mr. Dickerson’s head.
In the email, which was sent hours prior to the debate, CBS News senior politics producer Caroline Horn told Mr. Dickerson she could arrange to have Ms. Bachmann on his show.
Frankly, I think the candidates should have walked off stage in unison the moment Scott Pelley forgot his responsibility as a moderator and thought himself a candidate, able to debate the other contenders.
Is it a big deal that Dickerson didn’t want Bachmann on a CBS webshow? No. She’s polling behind the other candidates and while she deserves massive credit for defending American grassroots when other GOP turned up their noses (in an election off-year only; she took a lot of heat for it, too), CBS is determining the most newsworthy, read “ratings,” programming decision.
Is it a big deal that Bachmann was, admittedly by Dickerson, downplayed at the debate? Absolutely. If she’s in the debate, she’s in the debate. Questions should be doled out on the basis of a candidate’s polling; media’s role is to offer a platform for ideas, not weed out certain ones by way of suppression thereby becoming an active participant in the cycle, no longer an objective media outlet simply amplifying and reporting it.
It wasn’t Dickerson’s choice to make as to Bachmann’s level of participation in the debate.
Another case of media bias.
(Related: Ron Paul received a mere 90 seconds of speaking time.)
*From Bachmann’s Facebook page:
Team–This is Keith Nahigian, Michele’s campaign manager. While Michele has been onstage at tonight’s debate demonstrating strong leadership on foreign policy and national security, we received concrete evidence confirming what every conservative already knows – the liberal mainstream media elites are manipulating the Republican debates by purposely suppressing our conservative message and limiting Michele’s questions.
View the attached email by CBS News’ political director from earlier today–we need to show the liberal media elite that we won’t stand for this outrageous manipulation. Help us fight this affront by sharing this with your friends.