In order to obtain more ground to cover, the media started off by telling the people just how different the two major candidates were (always relishing partisanship), when in truth, they aren't that polarized. Of course, they have vaguely different views on how to accomplish certain goals, but for the most part, those goals are the same. It's the usual, strengthen our economy, preserve social security, improve education, yada yada yada; the candidates just occasionally differ on how to do so -- leading to an enduring joke about the American people not really wanting either candi

Moreover, of course, neither Gore or Bush is trustworthy-- in the sense that their statements should not be taken on trust, but the media failed to take note of that when reporting campaign claims. Nor should reporters accept what candidates say without doing the essential journalistic task of checking the facts. But all too often, media behave as though applying skepticism to a politician's words is something that one does only in unusual circumstances. This pre-election irresponsibility threw everything off-kilter and, simply, it got even worse.

Now, solutions to these problems aren't as straightforward as the media is. However, a positive outcome of this election might be the wonders of hindsight, in both the media and the public. On a whole, Americans are more aware now of the power of the media and it's ability in shaping the opinions of millions of Americans. That power needs to be handled with more respect and more responsibility because independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. Maybe the ignominy won't have been forgotten by the time we realize the error of our ways, and, hopefully, put a stop to this perpetuation of journalistic malpractice, otherwise, that elections only come every four years is the only thing we'll have to be thankful for.

The candidate's are also similar in that they both exaggerated and skirted around lying in pre-election campaigning. The media compounded these problems by not being able to decide whether to be responsible enough to analyze these campaign claims and when they half-heartedly made any attempts they were often off the mark. Unfortunately, we a tendency to remember the few hits and forget the innumerable misses. For example, the media showed a keen interest in Gore's recounting the story of a Sarasota, Florida student who was forced to stand in her science class due to overcrowding. While many reports chalked it up as another Gore embellishment, few journalists acknowledged that the story was essentially accurate, and could have been easily confirmed through a local newspaper. In contrast, the media seem less interested in Gore's distortions when they are directly connected to public p

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gore's Stand, Monica Lewinsky, Gore Bush, South Africa, Alabama Bush, Sarasota Florida, Punch-Card Hell, Florida Recount, Texas Legislature, Annenberg Center, patients' bill, election night, patients' bill rights, florida recount, bill rights, add fuel fire, stopped caring, add fuel, continued add, media failed, campaign claims, contrast media, continued add fuel,
Approximate Word count = 1477
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)