Sarah Palin fell victim to malicious gossipmongers and the village bully

There is no greater indication in my view of the sick state of Western society than the disproportionate political influence that so-called satirical shows like the Saturday Night Live and the David Letterman Show exercise on the population, not only in America but around the world. The Dutch news media, for example, gorges on the prejudiced antics of Saturday Night Live as if objective balanced reports are being fed through for the edification of the Dutch population. I know because I watch Dutch television via satellite.

The majority of the "liberal" Dutch population shows just how conformist it is in swallowing all that is served up by the likes of Saturday Night Live.

What is called satire on Saturday Night Live is in reality victimisation based a person's deviation from the canons of political correctness. True informative satire can be found in television's "Seinfeld" which satirised the aimlessness, meaninglessness and unprincipled self-indulgence of the nineties generation - something that the satirised PC-class completely missed.

Saturday Night Live send-ups are mere mockery of person's appearance and manners, and a lying presentation or misrepresentation of what they believe and say. There is rarely basis for the mockery which, as I say, is taken up by news organisation around the world and developed into a political mythology. That mythology then becomes a scriptural reference for the venal, lazy, undisciplined, uncritical reporter who embellishes and expands it at will.

A good example among many was Peter Stefanovic's report on Sarah Palin on last night's Nine News bulletin. Stefanovic is the Nine Network's correspondent in the US. Stefanovic ran through a litany of claims about Palin, claims that are implicitly referenced to the Saturday Night Live skits. Palin's clothing expenses were rehashed again, with the further stunning revelation that they could be even higher than thought! "It was said" that Palin asked staff to put some of the expenses on their credit cards to hide them from the public. The source for this claim was evidently the comic book bubble over his microphone. "A source said" that Palin thought Africa was a country and not a continent. Again the comic book bubble hovering over the micro-phone. "Sources within the Republican camp" spoke again about Palin "going rogue" and that the friction between John McCain and Pain was evident in the hesitant embrace between the two after McCain's concession speech. All I saw was McCain turn to Palin who reacted in a normal manner. She was waiting for him to initiate the action - as anyone would in similar circumstances - and when he was clear McCain wished to embrace her, she came forward.

It's not necessary to continue to enumerate the cases of this sort of malicious nonsense. I cannot understand how a reporter like Peter Stefanovic can stand unabashed in front of a national audience and recycle such malice. Venality seems the only explanation. Venality, self-aggrandisement and cowardice appear to be the primary motivations for many in the media.

If anybody can give solid evidence for the above claims and others like them I will posted it here in big black letters.

When it comes to the critical issues of Palin's character and political competence, namely her conduct as Alaska's governor, there is a big empty silence - except for what the media inevitably called "troopergate". This had all the signs of a huge media beat-up from the beginning. Typically, Bill O'Reilly tackled the issue on the "Factor" revealing verifiable information about Palin's brother-in-law that the trooper would not want broadcast too widely. The investigation into the affair was released on the eve of the US election. Palin was completely cleared. It must have caused The Age reporter heartburn to have to write up The Troopergate fiasco.

Sarah Palin has demonstrated what everyone should know by now: the media functions most often as malicious gossipmongers and the cowardly village bully.

comments: gerardwilson@dodo.com.au