Thursday, October 2, 2008

Gwen Ifill

I got some things to say about folks who would question the professionalism of tonight's moderator, Ms. Ifill. But I think I'll hold off until after the debate.

All I'll say about this - for now - is that I'm tired of being suspect and tired of having to explain myself and tired of needing to verify my credentials. And I'm only 30. I can only imagine how someone as accomplished and experienced as Ms. Ifill might feel.

I'm torn. I'd like to see Ms. Ifill step down, if only to quiet the chorus of folks trying to work the refs and eliminate all this silly chatter. But if she were to take a pass on tonight's debate, then it would be a terrible setback for black journalists: it would only give renewed credibility to the those who believe we - brown-skinned media members - can't do our jobs without maintaining a sense of fairness and professionalism.

(Sigh). I'm disappointed in myself. I can't believe I didn't see this coming.

1 comment:

John P. Araujo said...

I have no doubt Ifill will do her job professionally tonight. However, I still can't believe that someone in Democrat Command Central didn't see this coming. How long have they been dealing with the GOP and their dirty tricks? Long enough, I think, that they should know how the GOP thinks and what's likely to set off one of their rumor mongering schemes.

If not Howard Dean, then someone, somewhere in the party needed the foresight to have seen this from far away and have dealt with it by now. Ifill doesn't need this distraction, and I hope it doesn't lead her to being distracted during tonight's debates. I fault the lack of vision in the Dem party leadership for this.

I want Ifill to challenge Gov. Sarah Palin during the debate, and I hope she does. That's what the debates are for. The best thing Ifill can do is carry on. It's already out there now, and a moot point. No way should she step aside. That would only lead to the GOP critics to feel validated.

Oh, and one last thing: if anyone ever doubts your journalistic professionalism, send them to me. I'll kick their ass for you! It may not change their mind, but it'll feel good to me!