Reporters' choice

Media: Obama may be the press favorite for November, but voters are still trying to decide | Jamie Dean

A recent John McCain web video highlights one of the more candid confessions of the presidential campaign season. The video quotes NBC News correspondent Lee Cowan describing how he felt when NBC assigned him to cover Barack Obama: "I must confess my knees quaked a bit."

If Cowan's knees quaked, MSNBC correspondent Chris Matthews' leg trembled. The online spot shows Matthews telling a fellow reporter about listening to an Obama speech: "I felt this thrill going up my leg."

The three-minute video—featuring floating hearts and the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"—claims a media love affair with Obama and includes short clips of lofty coverage of the candidate by other cable networks. The McCain camp contends news outlets give far more coverage to Obama's campaign, and aides sarcastically call Obama "The One."