Arizona media wallow in self-pity – and hand Kari Lake the greatest gift

I can’t even imagine the celebration at Kari Lake headquarters on Wednesday night – the pure joy of knowing your opponents are handing you the election.

They must be popping champagne over there like they’ve won the Super Bowl.

What a godsend! What a gift!

All of us should be so blessed with Republican Kari Lake’s enemies, who dapple her road to victory with rose petals and pine garlands.

It started when Katie Hobbs refused to debate

First it was Katie Hobbs ducking a debate that many politicians could have ducked without stumbling, but not the Democrat Katie Hobbs.

Because Katie Hobb’s greatest weakness is the widespread suspicion that she’s an empty suit. And skipping the debate for governor was like flipping the switch on a bank of stadium lights and training them on her biggest flaw:

There’s no there there.

After debate drama: Katie Hobbs does a solo interview with Arizona PBS

On Wednesday came another foe standing in line to self-immolate. This time it was the Arizona media, my goodness, the Arizona media, in all its vainglory and narcissism.

Someone among journalists thought it would be a great idea to call a press conference in front the Cronkite School of Journalism, declare the reporters of this state defenders of democracy and then take sides in an election.

Somewhere Kari Lake is licking her chops.

Then former journalists attack the GOP

Former Valley TV news anchor Marlene Galan Woods read a statement signed by more than 60 retired Arizona journalists decrying the disturbing developments of this campaign season.

“As former journalists, we are here today to sound alarms and express our concern that this election poses a very real and existential threat to our democracy,” she said. “We cannot remain silent when candidates up and down the ballot in Arizona have demonstrated blatant and bold disregard for facts, reality and truth.”

And who would be the candidates distorting truth and pulling down the pillars of our democratic Republic?

“Only one party is trying to end democracy,” Woods said. “Only one party is trying to limit who can vote. Only one party embraces antisemitism, racism and an extreme white nationalist agenda – and it is not the Democrats.”

Let us see if we can guess.

Is it the Greens? The Libertarians?

Finally, Woods removed the suspense.

“Today, here in Arizona, the entire slate of statewide candidates on the Republican side are not only proud of Trump’s endorsement, they are literally bowing at his feet and kissing the emperor’s ring. This is how they do it in North Korea. This is how they do it in China. This is how they do it in Russia – in Cuba, where my family’s from.”

After comparing Arizona’s GOP to a rogues gallery of the world’s worst dictators, she condemned Republican attacks on the media.

Only a third of adults trust the media

“Voting is an exercise of free speech,” Woods said. “These two elements are intertwined and necessary for this American republic to live on. We stand united in our support of free speech, against unfair attacks on the media and journalists and for every citizen to exercise their right – their responsibility – to be informed and vote.”

“Unfair attacks on media and journalists”? Oh, the poor darlings.

To help amplify all this wounded indignation, came one more veteran of the “If it bleeds, it leads” crowd, Steve Krafft, a former Fox 10 reporter.

“Journalists work to bring our communities information, knowledge and perspective that makes this idea of this republic possible,” Krafft said. “So if we lose our free press, our precious democracy will wither and die.”

Republican hostility to Arizona media threatens our way of life.

I wonder if any of these former journalists have read the recent Gallup poll that show 36% of U.S. adults say they have "a great deal" or “fair amount” of trust and confidence in newspapers, television and radio news reporting?

If that’s true, it means American journalists are competing with pimps and mob bosses for respectability. And it means that it’s not just Republicans who hate journalists.

We put the spotlight on our biggest flaws

This is obviously a feast of good fortune for Kari Lake and her handlers, because the Arizona media have now done what Katie Hobbs has done. They’ve magnified their worst stereotypes.

• Biased. Check.

• Self-absorbed. Check.

• Obtuse. Check.

• Stupid. Check.

Did anyone stop to think that putting Marlene Galan Woods out front when she’s the campaign chairperson for Adrian Fontes, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, might look a wee bit conflicted?

That it would confirm every suspicion of every Republican and many independents that the news media is the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party?

Did anyone realize how incredibly weak this makes the media look, to whine about their mistreatment at the hands of politicians?

Get ready, Kari Lake will respond to this

I can tell you that the best investigative journalists in this state don’t fear the politicians. The politicians fear them.

When much of the national media was in a panic after Donald Trump had won the presidency, Washington Post editor Marty Baron, made famous by the movie “Spotlight,” told them to calm down and do their job.

“Amid an unrelenting assault from the most powerful person on earth, the answer for us is clear: just do our job. Do it honestly, honorably, seriously, fairly, accurately, and also unflinchingly.”

The Arizona media, the scribe babies of the press, doused themselves in the flammable liquid of self-pity, self-importance and naked political bias.

Very soon now, Kari Lake is going to answer.

With a match.

Phil Boas is an editorial columnist with The Arizona Republic. Email him at 602-444-8292 or phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake will have a field day with the Arizona press' pity party