When Barack Obama departs this weekend for his much-heralded trip to Europe and the Middle East, he will be joined by the glitterati of US political journalism.

All three anchors of the main nightly news programmes on US television are expected to be on the trip, together with star reporters of leading newspapers and magazines.

The media frenzy contrasts with the subdued coverage of John McCain's three international trips since securing the Republican presidential nomination.

When Mr McCain visited Mexico and Colombia this month some leading US news organisations did not even send correspondents.

Conservatives have cited the disparity as evidence of a media love affair with Mr Obama that could give the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a crucial advantage in November's election.

"There has never been a greater imbalance in coverage of two presidential candidates," says Brent Bozell, head of the Media Research Center, which monitors alleged liberal bias in the US media. "For the media, this is not a campaign. It's a coronation."

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