Sarah Palin: Newsweek

Following is the complete transcript of Governor Palin's Facebook post on Newsweek's sexist misrepresentation of her:

The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this "news" magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness - a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context (Palin, 2009, ¶1).

- Sarah Palin

Commentary:

Unfortunately, mainstream media misrepresentation of Governor Palin takes many flavors, but sexism is a recurring theme and the principal weapon in the mainstream media's ongoing war against her. This is part of a well-established pattern. This screen shot (thank you to colleague Stacy for providing the information) illustrates the point.

Exhibit A: Screenshot of USA Today Online article by David Jackson featuring parody cover of Going Rogue and showing that cover as being Governor Palin's book. The real book is Going Rogue: An American Life and shows Governor Palin with Hatcher Pass as the backdrop. The parody changes "life" to "nightmare" and shows Governor Palin against a backdrop of black thunderclouds in an attempt to portray her as some sort of "wicked witch."


The headline of the article is a naked attempt at building a case that Governor Palin is "not qualified" to be President. The entire reason Accomplishments exists is to dispel this very notion. Governor Palin's track record of accomplishment is well-known for anyone who cares to read. She is more than qualified to be President of the United States, and orders of magnitude more qualified than the current holder of the title.

As a reminder to professional reporters who cover Governor Palin on their beats, they might want to consider the following as they ply their trades:

Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

References:

Jackson, D. (2009, November 16). The Oval: Tracking the Obama Presidency "Who's more qualified to be president? More people say Clinton, not Palin." USA Today. Retrieved November 17, 2009 from: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/11/whos-more-qualified-to-be-president-more-people-say-clinton-not-palin/1

Palin, S.L.H. (2009, November 16). Facebook, Sarah Palin. Retrieved November 17, 2009 from: http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=wall#/notes/sarah-palin/newsweek/175955933434