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How the media covered 2012's biggest story

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    Agenda and tone of election coverage

  • Duration 10:02
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On FOX News -- 2012.

A year of nonstop news.

And nonstop coverage often driven by by -- and I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions from the GOP primaries political conventions the presidential debates.

-- and the big election.

The media agenda was clear and present.

The ruling on the health care -- obamacare goes on Supreme Court giving the president and his loyal media friends a big win.

But it's not over.

Best assessment we have today.

Is that in fact this was not a pre planned premeditated.

Attack.

Details about a deadly terrorist attack on the US consulate in -- Ghazi get ignored by most in the media.

The press buying into the White House spin but then the truth comes out.

Tragedies in the headlines the massacre in Newtown and other unthinkable -- challenge the media in their coverage.

Conflicts in the Middle East a civil war in Syria and other hot spots make it difficult to get the true story.

And journalists pay the price.

Eastern states get hit hard by super storm sandy the disaster affecting millions -- in the media react.

And who was voted worst reporter of 2012.

It was a scandal he said there was that it was about the immediately and -- newspaper thank you.

On the panel this week writer and Fox News contributor Judy Miller.

Richard Bernal who served as press spokesman for the last four US ambassador to the UN.

Jim Pinkerton contributing editor at the American conservative magazine.

And Fox News political analyst Juan Williams.

I'm John Scott FOX News Watch is on right now.

We can now definitively say.

That president Barack Obama will be reelected.

Mitt Romney will come up a loser and this race.

The big media story of the year the presidential election.

And that was how it and Barack Obama elected to a second term as president beating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

An end to a bitter election season which started early with the GOP primaries.

And events like this.

Talk about this during your visit to a black church in South Carolina.

Where a woman asked you why you referred to President Obama as the food stamp president it sounds as if you were seeking to do little people.

First of all on.

The fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president -- America.

-- Correct and I -- to use facts that are uncomfortable.

But -- that was just part of a long and memorable primary season one is that your highlight of the year.

My highlight I don't know what now now when it but -- get out.

I think it is telling again for Newt Gingrich he then in a subsequent debate format when he was asked about extramarital balances in the light.

I said enough for these gotcha questions and went at the media in specific -- and I think made the media successfully.

A target of his -- Well on the Republican side though Jim.

You know it is often the case that the media go after Republican -- right and that's my game which is so effective -- pivoting off of June for example want.

Because the real issue in those debates -- Twenty of them or whatever their word is never what Rick Perry and Herman -- -- pressures it's what they say the public and gets through.

Gingrich showed a real situation awareness and look.

The people on the stage are small potatoes compared to the audience out there and if I can have a chance to clobber reporter I'll take it -- -- -- but.

-- for example on the other side.

I'll win -- did Paul Ryan's debate with Biden in October he distinctly thought I'm here to debate Biden would answer the questions even -- obviously biased against him and never once he turned to the audience saying look folks here's more media bias -- wonder why Republicans have a hard time.

It's because it's -- Democrats and the mainstream media against us Republicans.

The audience would -- because even independents would agree yes it's an obvious by now the media are biased against the Republicans all those debates -- so many of them and did they illuminate the the process -- the presidential campaign.

Well I think they did I mean first of all they were.

Clearly catnip for reporters I mean there were thousands of reporters it was.

It was amazing that anything else got covered to determine how many reporters there.

But you have that many debates you've got to see these candidates and that was a wide range of candidates.

Really demonstrating.

Capability here a lack of capability to kind of fields complex issues and the voters made up their mom and sending you saw one.

Media promoted figure after another fall -- -- couldn't quite -- she couldn't quite stand the scrutiny.

That came upon a front line.

-- the Obama campaign made it clear attempt to try to sort of demonize Mitt Romney early they settled on him as their eventual challenger.

And did the negative advertising early but but the media as well there was a Newsweek cover.

Poking fun I guess you would say at Mitt Romney's -- -- For it's it's.

Yeah and and you know for Republicans media -- is a target rich environment.

-- we're constantly up against the fact that they're trying to define us as something that we're not and I think.

The Mormon -- some issue was front and center early on and I think that the Romney campaign did a good job of trying to downplay that not certain.

Members of the media were nervous about bringing it up.

Although some of the social media types and and bloggers constantly we're trying to make this an issue and it was picked up in mainstream media -- -- what about when we got to the actual conventions when when Mitt Romney got nominated when Barack Obama got renominated what about the coverage.

Was it fair.

Well I think when I look back at their coverage of the Republican Convention in particular I think there was an effort to be fear but then I think they fell off an edge and I think the engine part was Clint Eastwood and that now famous cheer the empty cheer your call.

I think that suddenly.

Somehow a Hollywood actor who was brought in I think because number he had done the ad -- the Super Bowl.

That seemed to be pro Obama but hearing is endorsing the Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Suddenly that became bigger than anything that Mitt Romney did I think that's the most memorable event.

And according to the American Media from a convention.

When I believe not -- not only did Mitt Romney stand out but also Paul Ryan.

And several Hispanics by the way did an excellent job of presenting a conservative reason to oust president -- -- seems like nobody remembers the big flap but the Democratic Convention over whether or not god was going to be in the platform that kind of thing and you know -- the Clint Eastwood moment.

I've got all of the attention and -- you right look but there's of certain rule here and Republicans essential have to learn it if you're gonna if the whole essence of invention is a tightly choreographed.

Event and you tightly -- -- and you can put.

In other input things help you better.

For example rubio is terrific and those those videos of the families who -- the Miami helped those are very moving and nobody saw them as they're in the wrong hour.

Use it in the middle of tight there -- if we don't -- to -- his values he has got going now.

That was not it's not Smart and has been a considerable little cottage industry of what finger pointing back and forth about who's idea that was -- out there and most of -- Think the loyal campaign ads I mean that is a joke.

Around from here blaming -- himself.

Yeah I mean I I was struck by Tom hamburgers piece in the Washington Post that.

Called the Romney campaign.

Campaign now now practice I mean there were so many mistakes it became obvious to the press and the Republicans kept saying.

Oh this isn't evidence of me but I suspect in fact it was just a badly run campaign and that became very very clear and the voters showed us it was clear.

And then we got to the debates when the media seem to have their thumb on one side of course there's that memorable moment.

When CNN can CNN's Candy Crowley and gave the president a little bit of a list tickled -- look.

I -- to make sure we get that for the record because it took the president fourteen days before he called the attack and then -- an act of terror get the transfer.

It if he did in -- in facts are so let me let me give -- call an active here and little other candidate -- -- He did.

-- an active terror it did as well.

Take it it is well take that two weeks or so for the whole idea of -- being a -- out there about this tape.

But to come out this after the president had done so poorly in the first debate in Denver did that salvaged the race for him and probably did are certainly helped.

Look again this is where Romney had to say look folks what you just saw.

Was my opponent Barack Obama and my -- -- and Candy Crowley teaming up against us.

And he'd done that everybody would have gotten it instead Romney sort of in it's it's unbelievably hard situation -- on my TV about it in people but.

And you need that gift of situation awareness to do it Gingrich -- -- in the in the primaries and.

Interest and you know and I think one quick mention here and I think it's worthy of our.

Discussion here years and which is that Twitter and social -- -- played a bigger role in the election and media coverage than ever before.

And then if you were following conservative blogs conservative web sites conservative media.

You really had a different view of this election and different view of the debates the debates for example the first debate that so famous I think turn on the fact that so many people.

Were involved in real time in scoring that debate as opposed to -- pressure in the mainstream reporters one of the big stories of the year that's for sure next on news watch.

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