In the lead up to the hurricane that never was, even as other social media came on board,  Craigslist became a place for questions and answers, even debate. A Canadian news crew was looking for a boat, but I noticed how one post from a journalist looking for accommodation received a very rude response. It seemed out of place in the flood of generosity pouring in through the site.

But it was not really out of context at this particular time, when some sectors of the media appear to paint themselves into a corner. Great example of this was in the coverage of Sarah Palin.

In an attempt to give depth, the media is perceived always sniffing around for the scandal, the conspiracy, the skeleton in the closet.

I watched a news item on CNN, where Anderson Cooper asked if it was relevant to for the media to go after the story about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy. Cooper gave it his best concerned look, as if he was standing outside of “the media” –as if his rhetorical question was not a thinly disguised attempt to open that can of worms. They opened that can much earlier, even while using iReport.com to ask people to comment on Palin, and then by promptly doing a story on the ’emotional’ response to the out-of-wedlock baby.

So no wonder that people ridicule the genuine reporter’s attempts to go after the news. No wonder the cry against sexism, and indecency, and that direct attack by Palin last evening. She obviously had the standard ‘liberal media’ talking points, but at this moment in time, they were quite relevant.