By Cassie Spodak, CNN

The first presidential debate is Wednesday October 3^rd and pundits and journalists are hyping the importance of both candidates’ performance. If Romney outshines Obama will it push him ahead in the polls?

This week the media reacted as different polls showed Obama edging ahead of Romney in the swing states. Pundits on the right decried the accuracy of the polls, while many journalists described a Romney campaign desperate for a comeback. Has the press unfairly written off the Romney campaign, or are conservatives searching for a scapegoat?

Romney’s campaign has accused media of biased reporting but both campaigns still recognize that entertainment shows provide an outlet for politicians to show a more personable side. However, appearances with Jay Leno and David Letterman can also be fertile ground for criticism – Obama was heavily criticized leading up to his appearance on The View for choosing to meet with Barbara, Whoopi, Joy, Sherri and Elisabeth over the world leaders at the UN in New York City.

The Guardian’s Ana Marie Cox, National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru and Thomson Reuters’ Chrystia Freeland discuss the week in political coverage.

SNL alum Darrell Hammond discusses how he developed his famous impersonations of Al Gore and Bill Clinton, and why President Obama is so hard to make fun of. Hammond also unveils a never before seen impersonation of a well known NBC anchor.

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports discusses the fallout from the referee strike and how the story dominated the news this week.

This Sunday, 11am ET.