I'm fascinated this election cycle by the media's use of beating to death a news story like a dirty carpet.

Much like it's cousin the sound bite, the online media "breaks" certain news reports with the full intention of eliciting continued emotional responses from readers over a period of several days. Rather than informing readers, by stretching a story's legs for far longer than necessary, the media self-designates a story with an importance not justifiably due via a repeated onslaught of run, run, run the story.

The Obama PA Bitter Remark story is the latest report to play 24/7, rerun with refurbished headlines that bait readers to click on to what is basically a retread of the same story.

Newseum--images of daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form--puts perspective back into play, capturing how newspapers run media-frenzied stories for the local readership.

How did the the No You Didn't, Obama story run in PA print?

As noted by USA Today:

€¢ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Stripped across the top of the front page is the headline "Furor over Obama quotes." Story here.

€¢ Sunday Patriot-News (Harrisburg): There's no headline about the controversy on the front page -- just a small "refer" to a story inside. The line reads " 'Bitter' voters: Obama explains his comments."

€¢ The Morning Call (Allentown): At the top of front page is the headline "Obama stands firm on 'small towns' talk." Story here. (Also today, the Morning Call's editorial board endorsed Obama.)

€¢ The Sunday Times (Scranton): In large type at the center of the top of the page -- "Obama choking on 'bitter' pill."

€¢ The Philadelphia Inquirer: Half-way down the right side of the page is a story headlined "Rivals rip Obama's 'bitter' Pa. depiction."

But what about the locals?

Read how Pennsylvanians reacted to Obama's comments over at Smashed Frog.