Journalists like to claim that they need access to high-level newsmakers because they are the "eyes and ears" of America. In reality, most journalists have a rather inflated opinion of their own self-importance, which leads to behavior that excludes them from events they would like to cover.
Take the case of the self-important New York Times, which is having a caniption fit because John McCain ain't including them in his press conferences. As Ed Morrissey at Hot Air notes:
Perhaps it’s because the Times has delivered biased hit pieces disguised as news, and an outrageously unfair editorial accusing McCain of a cover-up while noting his scheduled release on the 23rd. Bumiller herself got caught in a lie by reporting that McCain’s temper had flared in a Q&A with reporters, which a video taken of the exchange showed Bumiller’s dishonesty.
Now the Gray Lady shrieks at getting frozen out of campaign events. If they hadn’t made themselves into such obvious partisans, they would have better access. When the Times ran the piece that accused McCain of having an affair with less evidence than it takes to get a story in the National Enquirer, they ceased being a newspaper and became a gossip rag. If they don’t like that reality, then the Times needs to fire the editors responsible and hire responsible editors in their place.
The new media, from talk radio to blogs, has severely diminished the clout of the dinosaur media, particularly highly partisan outlets like the NYT. If John McCain succeeds in freezing out the NYT throughout this election cycle, expect serious panic to set in at the "paper of record."
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