Brendan Nyhan compares coverage of Romney to coverage of Gore, who was likewise "portrayed as inauthentic by a hostile press corps." Nyhan thinks both men are victims of the "gaffe patrol":

Beyond the frustration and resentment, an underlying problem is that the demand for gaffe news far exceeds the public’s interest in substantive reporting, especially during a general election in which only 5% of adults are truly undecided. The average news consumer follows presidential politics more like a sports fan than some sort of ideal citizen. 

Continetti urges Romney to go to war with the media: