From WNYC in New York, this is On the Evil Around Us.

Bob Garfield is away this week.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

Did I say evil?

I meant media.

Common mistake. In fact, on Friday, the Republican National

Committee suspended its partnership with NBC News for the February debate, citing CNBC's bad faith

in conducting this week's debate. Post-debate, just about every candidate's soundbite,

was about the bias, the triviality, the

malicious intent of the media.

You know, the Democrats have the ultimate super packet called the mainstream media.

And yet, says BuzzFeed political reporter McKay Coppins, Marco Rubio, the GOP contender whose

comment we just heard, could count the mainstream media as his staunchest ally.

It anointed him the frontrunner long, long ago.

To be sure, he's always been kind of a very talented, dynamic, political figure.

At the same time, not since early 2013, has he even come close to leading in the national polls.

So what do the mainstream media mean when they call him the frontrunner?

I think what we in the press tend to actually mean is that he is the best candidate.

You know, he comes from humble roots. He's young and good-looking and Latino. He's the

Republican who, if the newsroom of the New York Times were operating the Republican Party,

they would probably choose him as the nominee. So three years before the election, he was

Time Magazine's cover man as the Republican Savior. Last year, you announced Rubio's comeback. What was the

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