Tim, re: "The bias is real, just not as extreme as some of the claims made about it.
Surely you don't expect those making their livings dealing with the issues of the day to end up without any personal opinions about those issues?
And surely you don't expect them to perform as simple parrots repeating what they're told?
Real life isn't that vanilla.
To prove the media biased you'd not only have to demonstrate that their views favored the "other side," you'd have to also demonstrate that they UNFAIRLY favored the other side.
Converts to ideology or issues aren't guaranteed. Each side of any issue or any ideology has an opportunity to present their views and thus gain adherents. Bush/Cheney knew that and they deliberately manipulated the facts to create a right wing bias on foreign policy that sucked in the NY Times and a lot of other "mainstream media" for a long time.
But right now the Republicans are badly losing the "media bias" battle. Now why do you think that is?
Could it have something to do with the fact that the issues and "facts" that get you so thrilled aren't convincing to the highly educated and motivated men and women who get paid to understand and report on those issues? Could it have something to do with the fact that reporters are paid to see through the straw man and ad hoc arguments that the Rush Limbaughs of the world sell to the less discriminating public? Could it have something to do with the fact that your vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin, is the laughingstock of the educated world?
In short, could it have something to do with the possibility that the Republicans are currently on the wrong side of the facts, the wrong side of the policies and the wrong side of history?
Some of your deepest thinkers seem to think so...or maybe you don't read David Brooks, Buckley, George Will, Peggy Noonan and others?
Get some better ideas, support them with historical references and facts, and hope that the other side hides their head in the sand and disputes them. If that happens you'll suddenly find "media bias" is on your side. Keep on with the same ideas and the same policies, however, and you'll have plenty of media bias to complain about for a long time. Ed |
