Media Love-fest

The least surprising development from last night's debate? The media's hagiographic praise for Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly. The Post's Paul Farhi's big wet kiss of an article complimenting the super hot, super smmart (she's a lawyer Farhi interjects!) is a prime example.

The media loves its own, especially when a mean old politician attacks one of the troops. But has the self-love gotten out of hand? Has the desire to promote Kelly and at the expense of Trump blinded the media to its proper role in the presidential debates much less the campaigns?

Farhi for instance, describes the Kelly-Trump interaction thusly: 

During the primetime debate Thursday night, Kelly landed a series of blows that seemed to leave the GOP's front-runner reeling....
At one point it appeared that the debate was between Kelly and Trump, not among Trump and rivals Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

Farhi doesn't ask the obvious questions and, indeed, it's not even clear he gave a thought to them. Is it the appropriate role for a moderator/journalist to "land blows" in a candidate debate? Hasn't a debate gone completely off the rails when it appears that the "debate" is not between candidates on stage but a candidate at the podium and a journalist by the cameras? 

These are legitimate questions about the role and responsibility of journalists and news organizations. It's almost laughable that the Post's media reporter doesn't see Kelly's combativeness as a problem worth exploring but the very reason to congratulate her.