OK kids, with all apologies to Winn, some of us pushed his subject aside & that's just not right. But the question of media bias is still a fair topic, so let's open up the forum & investigate.
On one hand, we have had for quite some time, those who claim media bias, not considering the news from what they consider a liberal publication as valid. Fair enough. You may correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall seeing any complaints from anyone @ media bias against the right, with the possible exception of mentioning O'Reilly & Limbaugh. It would seem that some people really have a problem with the media. Fair enough.
The latest rants from one blogger comes complete with a web site, a rare event in & of itself. The media is dominated by the left. The media is leaning to the left. Those are just two of the claims. Unfortunately, as usual, no examples were given & there was nothing in the way of specifics. But, bless the bloggers heart, the web site provided quotes from media people, including at least four from the Chicago Sun Times with footnotes included. My My. We seem to have a bit of a conundrum here. But I'll bet the blogger, at the very least, did not see it. I wonder why.
Now this is the point where full disclosure, in the interest of being Fair And Balanced, (FAB) comes in. The blogger may not know it, but some of the others do. I was born & raised in Chicago & as a youth, I had the advantage of being able to read all FOUR of our major daily newspapers. The Chicago Tribune & the Chicago Herald American were the conservative publications in a majority liberal area. The Chicago Daily News , a bit more moderate, & the Chicago Sun Times, was the liberal view. I know a few things @ the Chicago Sun Times. I used to work there. So I must ask the blogger a question. If you have such disdain for the liberal point of view, assuming it is slanted toward the left, therefore not to be considered FAB, the very fact that people that you provided, seemed to support your view which shows that they are fair & balanced & present a fair view to the public. So which is it? Please explain that. After all, you are the one who provided the source. I mentioned that I was experiencing some depressing aspects @ the blogs lately. I mentioned the usual, open ended accusations and claims with no substantiation, the use of hyperbole to advance a claim, putting words in another persons mouth. I'll get nailed for it, but I would add a lack of critical thinking, lack of common sense & a lack of basic reading comprehension.
Mike Mann did a great job of challenging the view of media balance. And that view is not unjustified. What is bothersome is that you, like others, throw out a claim. You provide no examples. No specifics. You assume, & in some instances, correctly, that guilt or verification, comes with the proclamation you make, simply because people are people & probably won't investigate further. When challenged, silence is the norm.
If I have to point out the totally obvious, so be it. All publications, print, electronic, radio & TV, present pretty much the same news. They borrow from other sources. The news doesn't change as reported. Dog bites man. Man gets stitches. Dog gets shot, film at eleven. Big woof. The only difference is when the opinions come into view. Here's a news flash. Whether it's the left or the right, they are both going to put their own spin on any issue. That's a fact so you better warm up to it. If you don't like the spin of the left, go to the right. Perhaps you've heard of them. O'Reilly, Limbaugh & others. If that's what you like, go for it. No one is going to stop you. But if you're going to try & tell people that those types are giving a fair & balanced story, as opposed to a left slanted view of the left, be kind enough to provide sources, specifics quotes & the like if you require the same of those presenting the view of the left, according to people like you.
That's the view from here. As I said, I'm taking a bit of a break from the blog, but I'll be interested in the replies.
RK