From WNYC in New York, this is NPR's On the Media. I'm Brooke Gladstone. And I'm Bob Garfield. During the past year of the presidential campaign, the media declared open season on Texas. Whether it was grimy air in Houston, poverty along the border, or the nation's busiest execution chamber, Texas was portrayed as truly the land of

wretched excesses. But does this image bear any resemblance to how the state sees itself? We ask

NPR's John Burnett, a native Texan based in Austin, to explore the media images of Texas.

God had a piece of heaven left over, and he held it in the palm of his hand, put a long star

above it, then set it down beside the real grand.

There are the old Texas cliches in which Texans tend to see themselves as culturally distinct with their own history, heroes, humor, and a sometimes endearing, sometimes unsettling earthiness.

Dogs have always been my friend.

Here, retired President Lyndon Johnson performs a duet with his favorite ranch dog, Yuki.

Come on, sing for me.

Oh, my.

But this past election season saw a degree of Texas bashing that went far beyond the old cliches.

Al Gore slammed Texas of the 21st century and its chief executive, the governor.

Evan Smith is editor of Texas Monthly magazine.

This is a state of great universities and wonderful achievement in technology

and some of the largest corporations in the world,

some of the most admired CEOs,

and yet Texas was portrayed as this backwater,

worse if possible in Arkansas was portrayed in 92.

You had Houston turned into Boston Harbor.

You had South Texas turned into one big McEleadora.

You had the education system of Texas made out to be completely inept.

You would have believed everybody had a little switch in their house to

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