October
1 Ifill Dismisses Debate Doubts

Gwen Ifill says that she hasn't even written the Obama chapter in "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama," as doubts were raised from some bloggers about her neutrality in the debate on Thursday.

"I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news, so I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation," Ifill told the AP. "The proof is in the pudding. They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job."

Ifill tells the AP that Obama is only a small part of the tome, with other chapters devoted to figures like Colin Powell. The book is due to be released on Jan. 20.

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder sees it as a non issue. He writes, "Come one, come all, as the media chases this story down the rabbit hole. It's a little bit depressing.  And predictable. Smearing a journalist for the sake of smearing a journalist. Guilt-by-racial association."