The Tina Fey Factor

One of the remarkable developments in Feb/March was the Clinton campaign's turning to comedy shows, especially SNL, for leverage in shifting the tone of coverage and selling the meme that Obama was getting "a pass" on tough questions. Obama, after the March 4 primaries said he clearly needed to have a conversation with Tina Fey. Was this really what changed the coverage? Not everybody agreed.

When this article was posted on
Tuesday on The New York Times Web site, several readers said the news media had
been unfair to Mrs. Clinton. Many said reporters had not been tough enough on
her. Many also focused on the role of “Saturday Night Live.”
“The line
between politics and entertainment has become almost fatally blurred now, and I
am uncomfortable with that,” a reader wrote. “SNL is NOT journalism, and it’s a
sad statement that a late night comedy show might have a greater impact on our
political path than a debate.”
Another reader wrote: “Don’t kid yourselves,
the media didn’t suddenly have some revelation because of SNL. They are trying
to sink Obama to keep this race, which they seem to love more than life itself,
going. SNL just provided them a justification.”