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Unmistakable media bias Wednesday, Dec 28, 2005 By David Sanders It has become a familiar mantra in the ever-escalating culture wars. Conservatives complain of the mainstream media's prevalent liberal bias. Liberals simply deny its existence and immediately burst into tirades aimed at the increasing popularity of Fox News. The evidence for left-wing media bias is demonstrated every day at various points in the 24-hour news cycle. The fine folks at the conservative Media Research Center, with their 18th Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting, have identified the most extreme, over-the-top examples of the leftward gravitational pull that dominates the mainstream media. I offer a small sampling of my favorites. The New York Times earned the God Save This Court from Extremists Award for its headline writing: "An Advocate for the Right," read a headline over a July 28 Times news analysis of Judge John Roberts' judicial philosophy, comparing it to the "Balanced Jurist at Home in the Middle" headline over a June 27, 1993, Times story on then-Supreme Court nominee Ruth Bader Ginsberg. (Ginsberg was chief legal counsel for the ACLU.) CNN's Jack Cafferty was a runner-up for the Those D--- Conservatives Award for his heartfelt exchange with Wolf Blitzer about what the future could possibly hold for White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove: Cafferty: "What should Karl Rove do if he is indicted?... He might want to, he might want to get measured for one of those extra large orange jump suits, Wolf, because looking at old Karl, I'm not sure that he'd, they'd be able to zip him into the regular-size one." Blitzer: "He's actually lost some weight. I think he's in pretty good shape." Cafferty: "Oh, well then, maybe just the regular off-the-shelf large would handle it for him." Blitzer: "But, you know, it's still a big if. It's still a big if." Cafferty: "Oh, I understand. I'm, I'm just hoping, you know. I love, I love to see those kinds of things happen. It does wonders for me." National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg made several appearances on the list, but it was her exchange with Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas on "Inside Washington" that earned her the Oh, That Liberal Media! Award: Thomas: "Is this attack (on public broadcasting's budget) going to make NPR a little less liberal?" Totenberg: "I don't think we're liberal to begin with, and I think if you would listen, Evan, you would know that." Thomas: "I do listen to you and you're not that liberal, but you're a little bit liberal." Totenberg: "No, I don't think so. I don't think that's a fair criticism, I really don't - any more than, any more than you would say that Newsweek is liberal." Thomas: "I think Newsweek is a little liberal." Garnering the title of Quote of the Year was Mary Mapes, the "60 Minutes" producer who provided Dan Rather with the documents raising serious questions about President Bush's National Guard service. The documents, which were presented in the story as authentic, were highly suspect. Mapes showed why she has no business working in the news business when ABC's Brian Ross interviewed her about the controversy known as "Memogate": Ross to Mapes: "Do you still think that story was true?" Mapes: "The story? Absolutely." Ross: "This seems remarkable to me that you would sit here now and say you still find that story to be up to your standards." Mapes: "I'm perfectly willing to believe those documents are forgeries if there's proof that I haven't seen." Ross: "But isn't it the other way around? Don't you have to prove they're authentic?" Mapes: "Well, I think that's what critics of the story would say. I know more now than I did then and I think, I think they have not been proved to be false, yet." Ross: "Have they proved to be authentic though? Isn't that really what journalists do?" Mapes: "No, I don't think that's the standard." She should have had higher standards. The story led to Rather's (and Mapes') demise. Media bias is real. It seems to take on a sharper tone each passing year. Thing is, conservatives are right to raise it as an issue. Liberals are, well, mad because their monopoly on the news industry is cracking. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
