This last week in the race to the White House was unheard of. First, lawmakers scrammbled to save our economy from collapse, McCain asked to cancel the first Presidential Debate - and Bill O’Reilly flipped out not just on Dems but all “ideological kool aid drinkers.” Hmm. Could we are all be getting somewhere?

Here is the week in review.

Wednesday, September 24
Joint Statement Released from McCain, Obama on Financial Crisis

Both Senators urged Member of Congress to work together and compromise on an economic bail out package. The package is controversial on both sides, particularly to very conservative Republicans and very liberal Dems.

As a side note, I also found this press release from Senator Obama’s campaign. Along with the statement, he outlined five “principals” for John McCain to follow. I wonder if that actually happened….

Wednesday, September 25
McCain Calls Press Conference to Try to Suspend Debate

Thursday, September 26
McCain’s Request to Delay Debate Falls Flat

“It’s going to be part of the president’s job to be able to deal with more than one thing at once,” Senator Obama said at a press conference.

“What I’m planning to do is debate on Friday.”

Friday, September 27
Congress Nears Agreement, Debate Goes Live

Both campaign jets arrived in Oxford, Mississippi for the first of three Presidential Debates. This one focused on Foreign Policy - but in light of the looming financial crisis, 35 minutes was spent on the economy.

You can watch the different portions of the debate at CSPAN’s Debate Hub. I just discovered this resource. You can also follow Debate Hub on Twitter and YouTube for constant updates.

To see the individual responses on the following topics (from solving the crisis to lessons of Iraq), visit the Debate Hub homepage and select which one you like. You can also see the breakdown of how long each candidate spoke on each topic in relation to the rest of the debate.

And to check out Chris Cizzilla, Washington Post blogger (The Fix) wrap up the key points from the debate, visit his blog. I had tried to post a video here but the WaPo embed isn’t working. I’ll get on that. Until next time.

Sarah Palin Speech Highlights
(3:01 for the exchange)

More than the cover story and the chant - I think the Olbermann/Matthews demotion brings to light a major challenge in modern journalism.

First, let me just say this. Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and  Bill O’Reilly are all the same to me. They pass personal opinions as fact. They reject the entrance of opposing views. And they act as if their answers are the only answers.  From my perspective - it goes against what I was taught in J school: maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above all else. Is it really in the public interest to introduce bias into any form of journalism?

When I think of the big picture - I think that this feeds our nation’s appetite for convenience and grants viewers a way to feel like a responsible citizen. But on the flip side - it allows citizens to be complacent in how they reach their opinions.

Network Opinion diminishes - not just NBC - but a common interest in a credible journalism practice. Seasoned journalists and industry leaders have pointed to blogs for hurting the health of the fourth estate — when it might be the exact opposite. While blogs open the conversation to people who have been shut out - cable news answered with talking heads -whose bias, vested interests are not always transparent.

In all fairness, I do not blame traditional media’s attempt to fill the opinion space. I see it as being provoked by unprecedented competition after the onset of the internet and their uninspiring response to 9/11. But the way I see it? New media and old face a challenge the industry has never before seen: how to provide citizens with accurate and reliable information in a seemingly polarized world - without telling them how to do it.