What the Mainstream Media Didn’t Report: CPAC 2011

I was among some 80 bloggers invited to cover the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC last week. CPAC is more than an opportunity to interview political figures and report on politics. It’s like a Star Trek Convention for political geeks. Instead of carrying phasers and putting on pointy ears, we carried laptops and wore fedoras.

Our “blogger’s lounge” had a balcony that allowed us to observe the main events. The mainstream media had the same setup on the other side of the auditorium. But their room must have had some sort of filter because they left out so much of the real story. Here are some examples:

Sarah Palin Did Not “Pull Out” Of Giving The Final Speech At CPAC

The prize speaking spot at CPAC is the final speech. Two years ago the final speaker was Rush Limbaugh, last year it was Glenn Beck.
This year CPAC again tried to arrange for a conservative mega-star to give the final address. The press incorrectly reported that Sarah Palin had agreed to give the speech but pulled out because the gay conservative group GOProud, was participating in the event.

The truth is Sarah Palin never accepted the invite to appear at CPAC and she supported GOProud’s participation in the conference. She told CBN:
“Well, I’ve never attended a CPAC conference ever, so I was a little taken aback this go around when I couldn’t make it to this one either and then there was a speculation well I either agree or disagree with some of the groups or issues that CPAC is discussing.”

NY Times Columnist Maureen Dowd May Be Suffering From Dementia

The blogger’s lounge was very crowded and writers without credentials were not allowed in the room.

On the second day of CPAC, Dowd tried to get into the lounge, lacking credentials she was not allowed to enter. She indignantly asked the person who blocked her entry, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

What a sad picture; here was a woman who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 and only 12 years later she was wandering a hotel asking strangers if they knew who she was.

Ron Paul Supporters’ Hate Was Under-Reported, Their Size Was Over-Reported