More 'Media Gone Wild'

Last week, I wrote about my disappointment at hearing that the massive media presence at both political conventions was spending more time relaxing and behaving poorly than, well, reporting. Unfortunately more examples have arisen. From Politicker:

"The souvenir stand was in a secure area only accessible to those with a media credential and buying campaign gear means contributing to the campaign, so we asked the woman working the cash register whether anyone at the press stand had been making purchases. Her answers were quite surprising.

 

The woman working at the souvenir stand told us she hadn’t been “too busy” during the day, but had seen business pick up in the past half hour or so. She then asked us whether we wanted to buy anything. When we informed her that our status as a reporter means we don’t buy campaign gear, she suggested a strategy other members of the media have apparently used to pick up their Obama swag.

 

“Have you ever thought of making up a fake name? That’s what the other guys do,” she said."

 

While I don't have any desire to get into a 'the media is in the bag for Obama' discussion (some members of the media, and some outlets, clearly tilt one way or the other; this is a problem on both ends of the spectrum, and another issue for another day) I do believe that this behavior provides another example of what is wrong with the media in America today. This behavior is childish at best, and should not be acceptable to those who have a desire for a strong, independent, useful media.