captioned by closed captioning services, inc. palin calls it quit. did the media press too hard. >> thank god i didn't say anything. >> a-- critics claim the efforts to fix our economy is failing. is the press failing to push for answers. the world says goodbye to king of pop, can the media say goodbye, too? and preparing for a press hearing, is the press prepared? jane hall of american university. andr andrea san tears, jim pinkerton, and columnist and fox news analyst kirsten howard. i'm jon scott. fox news watch is on right now

>> i do not know what the future holds. i want to work right now for people who are in ofls or out of office for the right things for principles that built of america who are inspired for the values of america who will not deride or apologize for the values for america and i want to work for those people. >> sarah palin, after her decision to resign as governor. her resume' sparked a new criticism, an infamous analysis from new york times columnist maureen dowd. wrote in the column, with her announcement palin proved she's ready to be president because quote, caribou barbie is one t nutty barbie. carl cannon from aol inside politics daily had this to say about coverage of palin when she was running for vice-president. he wrote in the 2008 election we, meaning the press, took

sides, straight and simple, particularly with regard to vice-presidential candidates. i don't know that we played in incisive role in that campaign and not saying that the better side lost. what i'm saying is that we didn't hold joe biden to the same standards as sarah palin for me the real loser in this sordid tale is my chosen profession. >> kearse sten you're from alaska originally. does he have a point? >> there's a double standard with sarah palin and joe biden. i mean, it's something that i think if you look at recently, how some of the things that joe biden said that has caused the administration some problems, that would have been a valid thing to cover during the campaign, that he has the propensity of gaffes, it was sort of laughed off and not taken seriously. if sarah palin said something that wasn't very smart or correct, it was front page news. >> and you have pointed out in the past, jane, that female

columnists like maureen dowd were particularly tough on sarah palin. >> well, it's true and sally had a column, i found odd, a bit of a misnomar and the column is all on news week and washington post.com. and how when her water broke and should have been home with the children and i have to say i don't think this is ideology, i think it's sexism. i didn't see anybody saying that the obama's kept-- that president obama kept the kids up too late. i've seen people questioning michelle obama's hand bag and probably soon her parenting skills. it's a total double standard. >> makes the point, they were looki looking especially women were looking for hillary rodham clinton to break the glass ceiling. >> they got sarah palin. and of hit her so much, i think that's the right word hate, she punk turs the idea that reporters as they are now

represent sort of the ordinary, interest of the ordinary americans, palin is so different than them and policies so different that the pretention that even new york times reporters have they somehow subpoenaing for the people is proven false and that's why they hate here. >> andrea, even in the republican party she's a polarizing fixture. you write she made a smart move giving up the governorship. >> i don't see the down side whether she writes a book and a millionaire or runs for presidents, the worst case, loses, that worked out for hillary clinton or al gore and continuing this is ideology and sexism. a growing trend among the main street media to attack particularly conservative women. this would never be allowed to call hillary clinton a dits, an idiot. and it's a class issue. on a purely political front, i think the they're worried that sarah palin will bring the working class-- >> hillary clinton was treated

like a-- >> no, they've used, not-- >> let's start. >> tucker carlson and a lot of allegedly liberal people talked about it, how they had to cross their legs for fear of being emasculated for hillary clinton. >> that's because they were rooting for obama. >> and they questioned her decisions as a mother, go after her special needs child. >> we're not disagreeing that palin gets it, we're saying that hillary got it, too. >> no, way. >> i think that-- i also think that she is stepping into class, you know, and populism in this country. i think she is, she could be crazy like a fox. >> the elitist media hate her, they view her as a back water governor with a bee hive and refuse to think of the notion she could govern them. and they look at her and are disgusted. >> what about her kirsten, you're from alas cast, what about her in the fishing waders with the suspenders on. is that real alaska or an art

fist. >> no, it absolutely is real alaska and alaskan women tend to hunt and fish and you know, my mother goes fishing, it's a very common thing. nothing unusual about that and i know people are sort of making fun of it and i think there is a sort of anti-rural sentiment against her, there's a misunderstanding, a lot of the stuff that's reported from alaska is just a basic misunderstanding of alaskan politics. >> whatever she does, is she going to get a fair shake from the media in the future? >> i don't know. the other thing is she is very beautiful and i think that her looks are going to cons stamp get commented on and i think the waders and the no waders, i mean, to be fair, it is-- there is a certain ill logic to say i quit, i quit because i'm not a quitter. and i think she'll outsmart the people on the republican side she's out, she resigned. >> it's time now for a break, but first, lots of extras

available to you on foxnews.com. including some of the spirited discussion that is erupt here during our break. i feel one coming on. you can hear them after the show, foxnews.com sla/fox news watch. we'll be back in two minutes to talk about the economy. . >> the economy still sputtering, the white house pledged, is the press playing along. >> the media swarm as michael jackson is memorialized. was the coverage too respectful? answers next on news watch. 4ld

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>> we and everyone else. economy, the figures we worked off in january, the consensus of most of the blue chip indexes out there, the truth is there was a misreading of just how bad an economy we inherited. now, that doesn't, i'm not laying this, it's not our responsibility. so the second question becomes is the economic package we put in place, including the recovery act, is it the right package given the circumstances we're in? we believe it is the right package given the circumstances we're in. we misread how bad the economy is, but we're now only about 120 days into the recovery package. >> vice-president joe biden speaking with george step nop-- stephanopoulos on this week.

>> why you know why "vanity fair's" david margolis, writing the piece how biden was-- no, that was palin. this goes on a, what a blue fight and b, how bad the economy is when warren buffett, a strong obama supporter said that unemployment isn't going to 10, is going to 11 and compares the stimulus package the hairball stimulus package to candy or viagra, then you know the media, we told what a rush they were in, february, right now, and now have to ask-- hardly any of the stimulus funds have been spent and you don't see that out there in the mainstream media. >> to be fair, all this week, there were a lot of articles in the new york times, in "the washington post," questioning where is the money gone, how can he do health care, isn't he doing-- and these are news articles and there's also a case to be made

pie the liberal economists that he didn't do enough and now he can come back and ask for more. i think the media are following in a way and how much money is being spent. i think we're not hearing a very good debate about, about this, we're hearing the republicans and conservatives saying, it's over, he is he' done, and guess what, we're going to win back congress and other people saying, i can't understand this, which is what a lot of people say. >> there's also talk about the second stimulus, which does get a certain amount of stuff, of coverage, but i mean, if the first one hasn't been spent yet, how do you prp propose a second one and how is the media supposed to decide whether it's needed or not? >> well, we talked about it before, i don't think the media is capable of deciding those types of things, i don't think they understand what's going on and easy for them to be told whether it's larry summers, whoever sits down, this is what has to happen and they transcribe it and they believe that. i think that we don't know if

there will be another stimulus package. i think probably the biggest problem was the bun one before, it wasn't a stimulus package and i think this actually was covered to a certain extend. it was sort of larded up with a lot of stuff from congress and it wasn't the type-- >> you're not calling it the pork bill. >> i'm not. it wasn't a pure stimulus package. >> i'll call it-- >> what about what the vice-president says, when he says, gosh, we just didn't understand how bad this economy was, they had promised to keep unemployment under what, 8, 8.5%. and. >> 8, at 8. >> why aren't they taking more heat in the media? >> because the media, i mean, they're spritzing with the media questions and cozy with the media. they have to actually report the numbers and jobs aren't being created. when it comes to joe biden, republicans don't need to run-- put up a message against obama, his own vice-president is doing

a great job. i think the double standard here though, bush made tons of gaffes and they were covered through and through, joe biden gets barely any coverage. >> let he throw this question at you. you're representing the liberal side here, but there were month after month after month of job gains in the bush administration and yet, you know, these days, this is the bush economy as portrayed in the media. >>, but it's the obama economy. >> do you think it is. >> i think that people, yeah, the sentiment this belongs to obama. yes, he inherited a bad situation, but you know, obama was-- >> joe biden-- >> they're going to try to do that, but i don't think anybody is going to buy it anymore. >> did stephanopoulos buy it? >> it was also the bush tarp. i think that obama owns the tarp. the piece in the atlantic that talks about, compares obama to herbert hoover in a scary way, saying that he may be too conservative, the whole

geithner-summers thing the same people that brought you disaster is in charge. i haven't seen the media talk about that very much. >> the cluelessness of the media, every time that some reporter credit lusly writes down that the cap and trade bill is a jobs bill the course of the obama spent, it's a straining ligs of the economy that the environmentalists are trying to perpetrate ap at the same time reports nobody in the their right mind is going to for the next 20 years as long as the environmentalists are going to shut them down. >> the cap and trade strangling the economy is-- >> check out our-- the argument about to erupt at foxnews.com/news watch. time for another break, we like your help with story ideas always welcome here, especially if you come across a story about media bias. e-mail us at foxnews.com. we'll be back to talk about the press. >> a tribute to a superstar gets

world attention. but did the press get beyond the hype? >> here comes the judge. the president's pick for the highest court gets set for a grilling by the senate. has the press done its job? details next on news watch.

♪ >> scenes from the michael jackson memorial service in los angeles earlier this week. 31 million people tuned in to watch that three-hour service on tv. more viewers than watched the funerals for presidents ford or reagan. the amount much media set up outside the staples center enormous. and representative sheila jackson lee held up a house resolution she want today introduce to honor the king of

pop. what was the darker side of the story? the questions about jackson's personal life, was that all ignored in the media? new york congressman peter king did not hold back when giving his view of the media coverage. >> we don't need michael jackson, the people dying every day, men and women dying today in afghanistan. let's give them the credit they deserve so i think the media has disgraced itself. i think people in public life, and talking about michael jacks jackson-- he may have been a good singer, dancer, but the bottom line is would you let your child or grandchild with michael jackson-- >> after congressman peter king made those comments, he reported getting death threats. what about that, jim? did the press shy away from these sort of seamy underside of michael jackson's life? >> no, i don't think they did to be honest. i think it got a lot of coverage, certainly the trials

he he were covered enormously. event equivalent level to this. people going live to watch michael jackson stand on top of a car. i think that pete are king made some pretty good points, but the event itself. the actual funeral was a beautiful service, you have to say that. >> and i think they covered the questions about him until they got to the funeral and then, once they did, even mark brashear, who had the interview talking with him inviting boys into his bed and an idea. he was delicate. once they were there treated it as like a state funeral and the journalism for that period, and crowded out everything else in the world, war in afghanistan and other things. >> i was surprised in watching some of the coverage of his death to learn that a lot of the bizarre aspects of michael jackson's life were created by him and his people. like the sleeping in the

hyperbaric oxygen chamber, that was a photo that his people gave to the national inquirer, said, hear, run this. >> that's crazy. i personally find all the coverage offensive. maybe cover the funeral, maybe do-- i thought maybe a day or something of coverage. it was ridiculous, it was completely out of control. and people-- there's always sorts of problems with people dying, there are things happening in the world that we need to be talking about and instead we're obsessed with this person who, you know, is an accused pedophile. >> and they did a study and found that michael jackson's death covered-- obliterated everything else from the news cycle. can you explain why? >> because this country is obsessed with celebrity. i mean, they they went bananas or anna nicole smith so of course they're going gaga over of michael jackson, kirsten is right, it's disgusting,

overkill, everyone was mourning the king of pop and the queen of socialism, nancy pelosi jamming through the largest tax increase and no one is paying attention because they're wearing their red and black leather jackets and white gloves. and this guy was an accused pedophile. yes, he had some talent. should we read some stories about him, great. but it was way too much. >> here is more on a story we told you about last week, "the washington post" launched an internal investigation now after it lance plans to host privates with washington and press. katherine whalen wrote our mistake to suggest we would hold and participate in an off the record dinner, journalists and power brokers paid for by a sponsor, as publisher it's my job to ensure that we adhere to our integrity as a news organization last week i let you and the organization down. does this end jane?

>> i don't think so, because there hasn't really been a full accounting of how reportedly some of these invitations went out under her personal e-mail. the new york times had a good piece, the media writer she was a harvard business school, and heir to the family that risk $its licenses to television stations to have watergate and start of selling access, it shows how far we've come and unfortunately a lot of newspapers are hurting and trying to monetarizmonetarize, journ journalism. >> access to washington post journalists to $25,000. >> i don't think it's $25,000 to the event or-- >> how much money are you really going to make off something like that? there are lots of events like this that go on, the monthly does, but they don't offer up

access to people that they don't have-- i don't understand how they have control over the obama administration officials, that was something i bother me. why are you able to provide access to them? what's, that doesn't make sense. >> i can sell for $25,000 i'll make some money, i guarantee it, but i think the real full accounting has to be what the obama administration and whoever else in congress might have a reason to do that. i'd like to see that, which politicians were there to suck up to the washington post while the post profited. >> those are supposed to be the most transparent government in u.s. history. it's about as transparent as a wool sock. >> we've watched the michael jackson memorial service given heavy media coverage. can we expect the same thing next week for confirmation hearings for judge sotomayor gets underway on capitol hill? what do you think, jane? >> well, i think we'll start out with live hearings, i think it's very significant, i think you're going to see duelling witnesses, the firefighter who, you know, the lawsuit that was overturned by the supreme court. and then, people saying to a--

>> will be fun to watch. we want to remind you about a one hour special on sunday night previewing those confirmation hearings, join us sunday night for our special coverage, and a special preview of the hearing, fox news reporting, judging sotomayor, sunday night, 8 p.m. eastern right here on fox news and then live coverage of the sotomayor hearings, monday morning, 9 a.m. eastern. one more break for us now, when we come back, a picture that does not tell the whole story. 

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naked eye, it looks like glancing a young brazilian woman's anatomy. they are giving the picture a lot play but does it till the whole story. take a look from the video from the same event. it looks likes the president doesn't even notice the young woman. as for what french president is looking in sar sar, no comment. that is wrap. thanks to the panel. i'm john scott. thanks for watching weasm see you again next week.