Gwen Ifill, the reporter who moderated Thursday's vice presidential debate, has come under fire for authoring a book entitled The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. Questions have been raised regarding Ifill's ability to moderate a fair and balanced debate.
There are 32 days left until the election. For the first time in American history, either a black man or a woman will hold either the presidential or vice presidential office, come January. Coupled with the current national and international climate, things are charged.
So it makes sense that both sides will grasp at anything that might offer the other side a perceived advantage like wooden furniture off of the Titanic. But how valid are these concerns?
Fox News' Greta Susteren wrote in her blog recently, "I am stunned. In law, this would create a mistrial."
But this isn't law. Ifill is a professional journalist writing a book about the political climate of recent years. She has made a successful career for herself in a field where personal views must be put aside on a daily basis and the projection of objectivity is part of the job description.
"...I haven't finished the book," said Ifill, in a statement to the New York Times. "It's interesting people think they know what's in it."
Ifill is a black woman employed by PBS. It's no wonder that conservatives are making a fuss, but the odds are good that liberals would make the same amount of noise if a conservative talking head had been selected to moderate.
But moderators are not picked arbitrarily. They are picked because they are high-level professionals of note. The American people should trust in these people to do their jobs and go back to (ostensibly) paying attention to the issues.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
