When we go to the polls Tuesday, I'm going to be excited - we are going to elect our first black president or our first female vice president. I'm also going to be excited that this election season will finally be over.
Enough is enough. I have heard about this election non-stop for two years. The news media has devoted almost all of their attention to it, with only brief reprieves to talk about arguably more pressing things, like the economy or the war in Iraq.
After close to 50 debates, two huge party nomination conventions and countless rallies, the media has had plenty to talk about. But on Tuesday, it is the American people, not the media, that ultimately will decide who our 44th president will be.
Too many cooks have spoiled the broth. The media has devoted so much time covering this election that I am looking forward to it being over, even if my candidate of choice does not win. After a while, it has become boring to hear the same news over and over again.
Since the campaign began in 2007, a lot of news has happened: we're still fighting two wars in the Middle East, our economy is in shambles, President Bush's administration has caused more controversy and the Supreme Court has authored some major decisions. Every time, though, the media has gone back to covering the election after all is said and done. Sometimes it feels that you will miss a major non-campaign story merely by blinking. Did you hear that the Environmental Protection Agency toughened lead emission standards for the first time in over 30 years last week?
The advent of the 24-hour news cycle and the increasing use of the Internet as a news source have made this excessive coverage an acceptable norm in our society. However, the 2008 election cycle has been an exercise in bad news judgment. Do I really care about seeing nearly every single McCain, Obama, Biden or Palin rally? Most of them are quite boring, and I never had any desire to watch them. Sometimes it feels like the media showed the rallies just because they ran out of things to talk about.
We have choices to make about being consumers of the media. However, when we are repeatedly bombarded with same stories, I just feel like turning my TV or computer off. Right now, that's the best thing you can do.
I've learned more about John McCain and Barack Obama by visiting their Web sites, not by watching the news. Their Web sites are unfiltered by the media and they spell out the candidates' stances. Before you head to the polls, I suggest you visit the Web sites, too. Make an informed decision about the election, as this is an election we must take seriously. Don't let the pundits tell you how to vote - they're biased to begin with.
When this election is over, what is the media going to talk about? I think they're going to have to make things up in order to fill the new programming void. Could we see variety shows on CNN? Will Wolf Blitzer and Larry King duke it out for supremacy of the airwaves? I'd watch that.
Regardless of how the media covers the election, we're fast approaching the end of the line. On Tuesday, the outcome is in our hands. Make an informed decision and vote for the candidate who you think will do the best job leading us for the next four years. Take advantage of our great democracy. Just vote!
Ethan Klapper is a sophomore in the School of Communication and The Eagle's Web editor. You can reach him at eklapper@theeagleonline.com.
