Halperin Knows: The Media's Betraying America

NOW THAT OBAMA SEEMS TO HAVE IT WON, the press rediscovers a conscience. Here's a transcript excerpt from Howard Kurtz's Reliable Sources today, via email from CNN:

On media coverage of money raised during the campaign

KURTZ: Mark Halperin, we learned this morning that Barack Obama in the month of September raised $150 million, the early estimates had been about $100 million. They always kind of leak a lower figure so they can exceed it.

If a Republican had not taken public financing and had raised all that money, and the Democrat was struggling financially, wouldn't we see a lot of stories about one candidate essentially trying to buy the election?

HALPERIN: We would. We'd also see a lot of stories about his going back on his word saying that he would accept the public money and would reach out to Senator McCain to try to work out a deal. So I think this is a case of a clear, unambiguous double standard, and any reporter who doesn't ask themselves, why is that, why would it be different if it's a Republican? I think is doing themselves and our profession and our democracy a disservice.

There's been a lot of that kind of disservice.

— Glenn Reynolds, pointing out what we all know too damn well, especially at the Instapundit