NEW YORK – " Media and The Presidency” took place
 in New York City’s famed Rainbow Room with an audience
of nearly 300.  The centerpiece of the evening was a panel discussion moderated by The Week’s  Sir Harold Evans, who discussed, with a renowned panel, the presidential campaigns and the media’s role in the events leading up to the historic election.

Among the panelists were Dan Rather, Republican operative Ed Rollins, MSNBC news anchor Joe Scarborough, Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, Lesley Stahl, and Slate.com Editor in Chief Jacob Weisberg.  The Week’s Editor at Large Sir Harold Evans moderated the lively discussion which noted that the difference in each campaign’s operations played a big role in the outcome.  Panelists disagreed as to whether the press coverage of the candidates was even handed, but did note that the varying amounts of coverage of the two candidates had less to do with bias and more to do with which made for a better story.  And, they all agreed, the best story was Barack Obama.

Among the guests were Amanda Burden, Chuck Scarborough, Shari (Mrs. Ed) Rollins, Tina Brown (Lady Evans), George Rush, Barbara Warner Howard, Nicholas Wapshott, Caroline Graham, Paula Zahn, Faye Wattleton, Heather Watts and Damian Woetzel, former Governor Bill Weld, Patricia Duff, Debbie Bancroft, Elizabeth Peabody and her father Sam Peabody, Peter and Jamee Gregory, Kelvin McKenzie, Robin Duke, Mary McFadden, Mary Louise Oates (Mrs. Bob Shrum), Ernie Pomerantz, Tara Meltzer, Valentin and Yaz Hernandez, Rick Hertzberg, Marsia Holzer, Richard Johnson, Barbara and Michael Gross, Frederic Fekkai and Shirin von Wolfen, Tom Freston, Michael Goodwin, Catharine and David Hamilton, Richard Cohen, Cece Cord, Ana Marie Cox, Shirley Lord Rosenthal, Joni Evans and Bob Perkins, Jeff Bercovici, Jeff and Myrna Blyth, Pamela Keogh, Steve and Cynthia Brill