Is the Media Biased?"The traditional media are playing a very, very dangerous game -- with their readers, with the Constitution and with their own fates."
"The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I've found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer."
"But worst of all, for the last couple weeks, I've begun -- for the first time in my adult life -- to be embarrassed to admit what I do for a living. A few days ago, when asked by a new acquaintance what I did for a living, I replied that I was "a writer," because I couldn't bring myself to admit to a stranger that I'm a journalist."
"Republicans are justifiably foaming at the mouth over the sheer one-sidedness of the press coverage of the two candidates and their running mates. But in the last few days, even Democrats, who have been gloating over the pass -- no, make that shameless support -- they've gotten from the press, are starting to get uncomfortable as they realize that no one wins in the long run when we don't have a free and fair press."
"Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people who think the media has been too hard on, say, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin, by rushing reportorial SWAT teams to her home state of Alaska to rifle through her garbage. This is the big leagues, and if she wants to suit up and take the field, then Gov. Palin better be ready to play."
"No, what I object to (and I think most other Americans do as well) is the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side -- or worse, actively serving as attack dogs for the presidential ticket of Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Joe Biden, D-Del."
You can read Michael Malone's article, "Media's Presidential Bias and Decline," here.
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Cross-Posted at RedBlueChristian
3 comments:
I note with interest that the all the reports of media bias come from the media. Apparently all the right wing radio, television and newspapers are not media and don't count in the bias issue. Having said that, I find almost all television and most radio reporting annoying because news readers, and even field reporters, all sound like Billy Mays selling the latest gizmo while the end of the world is happening in the background. NPR and PBS are very nearly the only exceptions.
CP
Country -
The reason they don't count is that they aren't news organizations, nor do they call themselves such. Rush Limbaugh (for instance) is not, and has never claimed to be a reporter. The opinion people openly state their biases ahead of time. Therefore, people don't get the mistaken impression that they are getting anything objective.
Allen -
I agree with the basic premise of the article, but I think that he has missed the reason for it. I'm pretty sure that the reason the media is carrying so much water for Obama is that McCain has declared war on Roe v. Wade.
Country Parson:
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I think Jonathan is right that the issue of media bias is only in reference to those journalists who claim they are fair, but use that to hide their biases. To use two examples in bi-partisan fashion: Bill O'Reilly continues to insist that his show is the no-spin zone, when in fact he spins toward the right all the time. Keith Olbermann is clearly biased toward the left, and yet he tries to format his show in a manner that deceives people into thinking he is a serious journalist.
I do not care if both men want to sit in front of the camera and foam at the mouth while they express their views, but they should be honest and admit that what they are about is not serious journalism, but political pundantry.
And, yes, all too often the talking heads sound as if they are trying to sell something. I like your example of Billy Mays; may I also suggest Ron Popeil.
Jonathan:
I am having trouble seeing your point on Roe-v-Wade. Yes, the MSM in general supports legalized abortion, but what I really think is going on is not opposition to Roe-v-Wade per se (since journalists assume, I think, that the Republican presidential candidate will be anti-abortion), but rather that John McCain is standing in the way of media darling Barack Obama. This explains why they so willingly threw Hillary Clinton under the bus as well. She was in his way too.
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