Contrary to popular beliefs, newspapers and media outlets in the US have historically had a political leaning. While objecivity is the goal of the reporter, it is not the goal of the editor or newspaper.

For a long time in this nation’s history, a town (or city) had dozens, if not hundreds of different newspapers. Each of these papers pushed an agenda of which the owner hired editors to advocate on behalf of. A person could get any different number of viewpoint about a particular newstory. It was up to the reader to filter out the ideology form the facts. In many ways, the earlier news consumer was more saavy and aware than today’s.

Now, with only one or two papers in a city, the consumer is only given news from one perspective. To complicate this problem, is the myth that newspapers must be ‘neutral’ and ‘unbiased’. It seems that this myth was a tool, to mislead the news consumer into taking what one publication says as ‘objective fact’. Since that prevailing wisdom has been repeated thousands of times, it has become a fact. To quote Aldous Huxley – “64000 repetitions makes it the truth”

That is why the blogosphere is such a threat to the traditional media: It is a return to the days when you had hundreds of voices reporting on a story.

Chad: As long as you keep seeing what you believe, there will never be any room for objectivity. You need to start believing what you see.

I think you and the rest of your buddies at Daily Kos are so far to the left that any sort of reporting that doesn’t match up immediately with your leftist view is considered “right wing.”

When you’re off in left field, everything looks like it’s to the right.

Isn’t the reverse true with conservatives? “When you’re off in right field, everything looks like it’s to the left“?

Or is your view the only correct one on this issue, since you’re completely free from bias on it?

When you’re off in left field, everything looks like it’s to the right.

Maybe you should take your own advice. I’m not the one claiming bias, you are. I’m simply pointing out that it doesn’t make sense for there to be any left-leaning bias…unless we’re all just supposed to accept your made up statistic that 85% of all reporters are registered Democrats, which even then wouldn’t be much of a case.

I can see why you guys would think there’s some huge conspiracy and all the media is against you, when you’re way off on the right fringe.

When I read an article from the Washington Post or New York Times I don’t think of myself as reading a factual accounting of current events, I think of myself as reading some reporter’s opinion-based accounting of current events.

You used to think journalists wrote something other than opinion-based accounts of events? What–Chief’s “The Truth”?

That should be “deity”.

One of the Blogger’s jobs is essentially to provide an opinion of the factual accounts in a news story.

Not really; remember “Rathergate”? What propelled blogging onto the front pages was the questioning and revealing of somewhat less than factual info in the MSM. Never forget. The truth is out there, but the MSM just isn’t interested in it.

Chad: It’s not a conspiracy; that’s just another leftie straw man argument. It’s a commonality of ideology. You guys are ideologically bound to sell your agenda. Anyone who deviates even slightly from your ideological position, like Joe Lieberman, gets purged. You guys have no tolerance for diversity of opinion. The left is totalitarian, just like your diety Karl Marx.

Isn’t the reverse true with conservatives? “When you’re off in right field, everything looks like it’s to the left”?

No, it’s not. Conservatives have stayed put, supporting the founding principles of the US, while the lefties have become increasingly Marxist over the years. The only “right-wing” in this country is the NeoNazis and the white supremacists, who are essentially ignored by the MSM unless they can be used to smear Republicans. That is the logical mistake you lefties make, Dave. You think that one group moving to the left causes those who disagree with them to move to the right. That just isn’t true. It is propaganda rhetoric, though.

Of course you guys think the media is too left, because you’re very far to the right. The reality of it though is that most mainstream media outlets are owned by super-rich, uber-conservatives who benefit directly from republican policies. If there is bias in the MSM, it’s to the right.

The fact that these media organizations are apparently owned by super-rich Republicans (and I’m not saying they are, the NY Times is certainly owned by liberals) doesn’t mean that media coverage isn’t biased.

Some 85% of reporters are registered Democrats, and you think they’re pushing a right-wing bias? Come off it.

I think it’s hilarious that you lefty idiots think Drudge and Fox are so awfully biased to the right. A recent study showed that Drudge is actually closer to the middle than any other news outlet, and Fox isn’t far behind though a little more to the right.

I think you and the rest of your buddies at Daily Kos are so far to the left that any sort of reporting that doesn’t match up immediately with your leftist view is considered “right wing.”

When you’re off in left field, everything looks like it’s to the right.

For example, Matt Lauer *just* finally admitted that The Today Show believes that there’s a civil war going on in Iraq, when most Americans have believed that for a lot longer:

Right. According to an online poll. A polling method we all know is so accurate that its findings are beyond reproach or questioning.

You, Chad, are a parody of yourself. Seriously. You make me smile.