In the history of Vice Presidential elections no two candidates have been more different than Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. She is marketed as a "hockey Mom" who is an outsider to Washington Politics. Joe Biden is a Washington veteran with more than three decades in the senate.
Palin - Biden Debate
In an ideal world Sarah Palin and Joe Biden would be treated the same by the TV news media. This is not an ideal world and they are not treated the same. The media, and in turn the public, is curious about Sarah Palin. They don't know her and since she is a new face and persona, she is interesting. The media knows everything they want to about Joe Biden. After all those years as a senator, all his skeletons are out of his closet.
Vice Presidential Debate
Despite all the talk of equality and equal treatment, the TV news media is not treating Biden and Palin the same. Whether Palin is being treated unfairly good or unfairly bad is a matter of debate itself. A Gallup Polls finds 33% think she is being treated unfairly negative while 21% say the coverage is unfairly positive. Palin's gender is a factor during interviews. Some people thinks she is being attacked unduely because of it while others think it is protecting her.
Sarah Palin Interview
The best example of different treatment can be seen in the Katie Couric interviews with Sarah Palin. Couric is a veteran interviewer who has proved she is not afraid to go for the jugular. However, Couric maintained an eerie calm and restraint even when she had Palin backed into a corner on issues like Palin's claim of having foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia and sending troops into Afghanistan to search for Osama bin Laden.
Debate Coverage
No one is more aware of this double standard that Palin's opponent for Vice President, Joe Biden. Biden is known for his aggressive nature and furious debate skills. However, Biden showed remarkable restraint during the Vice Presidential debate. Biden carefully avoided the perception that he is a mean old man who picks on a defenseless woman. This is despite the fact that Palin is a seasoned politician who is far from helpless. Even on issues as contentious as the economic crisis, Biden was a perfect gentleman.
TV Industry on Palin and Biden
One of the few exceptions to this media gender tip toeing is CNN anchor Campbell Brown. She urged the McCain camp to stop treating Palin "like a delicate flower who will wilt at any moment." Brown pointed out that a female candidate should be treated the same as any candidate. She said the McCain campaign is "engaging in sexism and insulting behavior in its attempt to shield Gov. Sarah Palin from members of the press."
Palin or Biden Vice President
The TV news industry's quandary will only be resolved when it is common for women to run for president and vice president of the United States. We have reached a point like that with congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gets as much negative attention as any male member of congress. It may sound rude but the TV news industry needs to forget that Sarah Palin is a lady if she wants to be the Vice President of the United States.
Kent Ninomiya - Kent Ninomiya is a veteran journalist with more than 22 years experience as a television news anchor, reporter, writer and executive.
