Has Sarah Palin gotten a fair shake in the media?

Sarah Palin's surprise announcement over the holiday weekend that she would resign as governor of Alaska generated a flurry of speculation over her motives and fitness for high office. Her supporters suggested that she might be trying to spare her family additional exposure in the media, widely perceived as hostile to the former Republican vice presidential candidate. We'd like to know what you think: Has Sarah Palin gotten a fair shake in the media?

Sara Palin has shown an ability to make right choices with strong sound beliefs even in the midst of life's turmoil, in contrast to a fallen world. -Dale Larson, Balaton, MN

Palin has spun media coverage to her advantage, claiming to be victimized while behaving aggressively. -Aileen, Rochester, MN

Considering how unintelligent and unqualified Sarah Palin is, I think she has gotten more than a fair shake from the media. -Steve, Maple Grove, MN

I think Palin hurt herself by resigning. -Ben, Minneapolis, MN

You won't get a real answer about Palin on your station. It is dominated by democrats. -John Kidd

I just don't see how she can aspire to higher office if she can't work through the down side of her current position. -Jesse, Minneapolis, MN

I think Palin is completely incompetent and is enjoying the media attention. She has played to the media and created a lot of positive and negative attention. I shudder to think what insanity she would create as president. -Alli, MN

The media has gone after Senator Palin in a predatory & vindictive manner. It's been personal and unprofessional, which shows how bad the media has truly become. -anonymous text message

Sarah Palin is a mentor and leader for working Moms throughout the nation...if people would let her! -Kari, Sioux Falls, SD

Some people do believe that Gov. Palin was given a raw deal. Being thrust upon the national stage with little prep. That would be the fault of the Republican party and the McCain campaign, they have people don't they? Speech writers, speaking coaches, etc. Given that if i were placed on national TV and asked questions about what I read I may stammer or stutter but I could name a paper, or magazine, probably several of them, if you are well read the names should come to you almost automatically. The fact that she could name none and made the Russia comment does not make me doubt her intelligence but rather her education. -Paul Uecker, Rochester, MN

Please do not give this woman any more time and attention than she has already gotten. Her time in the spotlight has been more than fair - perhaps the media might be able to portray her differently if she would answer in a truly straightforward and honest way some of the questions posed to her. I think there remains a lot to be uncovered about this shady character; I feel the news media has treated her very gently and has neglected to uncover the facts about her cronyism and business dealings. -Vanessa Stephens Coldwater, Minneapolis, MN

Yes she has. Becoming a public official and a contentious one at that is sure to bring a greater amount of criticism than may be expected. Having been vaulted from unknown governor to "two heart-beats away" required an extra amount of scrutiny. She's a flash in the pan that will be burned out long before the next presidential election. She's about to find out what it's like to not have any attention from the press, going to guess she'll be complaining about that when it happens. -Matthew Reubendale, Minneapolis, MN

Former Gov. Palin received the correct amount of attention based on her knowledge of national issues and stump speeches. -DT Turner, Minneapolis, MN

No, but a carefully qualified "no"; while the media's strongest asset is "smarts" (that is, most journalists have a broad "liberal arts" background - something commendable, to be sure), political leaders' strongest asset is something I'd term "tempered smarts." There is no humility in the media, and while Palin might not be a paragon of humility, she was raised in a culture not unlike rural MN, where one's intellect gets used like a tool. She doesn't use it for pleasure; this doesn't mean it's not there, or that it's stunted, just that those in the media cannot understand, and thus cannot appreciate, her true spell of "motherliness." -John Schmid, St. Paul, MN

Far too fair. She lacks the know how to do her job. She has proven herself to be a less than affective leader. Mainly she fails to have a global perspective - and that is something I expect of my political leaders. She is not good at her job, and has humiliated herself far too many times, and the media really has left that alone. She's been given far too much of the benefit of the doubt. -Abbi Allan, Minneapolis, MN

Well, I would say she has. Any and all issues that have come about in the media have been of her own doing. Whether it was to the latest flub by Letterman and her complete misconstruing of it, to her complete and utter avoidance of the questions presented to her in the debates. She is the foundation to her own undoing. Give someone enough rope and they will eventually hang themselves. She was just fine as a backwater governor with little media exposure. This is the exact reason I do not want an ordinary person doing an extraordinary job. -Dana Mikkelsen, Moorhead, MN

Yes. Everything that has happened to her she brought on herself by the very nature of her hypocrisy. While claiming to support "family values" her child has her own child out of wedlock. she cannot deliver a speech to save her life, whenever she speaks publicly she manages to make no sense. She's a PTA mom that managed to get elected governor of Alaska so of course she's going to be ridiculed. -Nathaniel Swanson, Minneapolis, MN

Yes. Media did not do anything different with Sarah than any other candidate, which is pick on words, ridicule eccentricities, and overall look for any screw up possible. She knew what she was getting herself into when she joined McCain in the run for the presidency. Even though she managed to excite the very right, she is seriously out of touch with the rest of America, which is represented in the way media treated her. Perhaps if she focused more on coming off as an intelligent woman in politics and less as the "hockey mom next door" (with the worst of what the stereotype portrays), she would be viewed differently by people and by media. -Yan Kravchenko, Plymouth, MN

She has gotten more than a fair shake. She has trotted out her family for political purposes, and has invited the scrutiny that she has gotten. For instance, she is anti-choice, but then reacts poorly when the media inspects her own house with her daughter becoming pregnant (and now a spokesperson on the issue). She wanted the benefits of parading her large family to the media, but could not handle the criticisms it led to. As for the scrutiny of her personally? Being a 70+ year old cancer-survivor heartbeat away from the presidency should expect scrutiny, especially with her palling around with the secession-endorsing Alaska Ind. Party. -Matthew Pettis, Minneapolis, MN

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