Personally I think Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Ann Coulter are running neck, neck and neck for the coveted title of "Anti-Christ" in today’s society. But, even I have to admit that, on some rare occasions, they can be right.
In scanning today’s edition of The New York Times, for example, I was shocked, surprised and, yes, a little saddened to see the "old gray lady" not only didn’t feature John Kerry’s huge flub on the front page, but buried its sole coverage to an analysis piece on page A-24.
Alongside Mark Foley and the ongoing debacle in Iraq, Kerry’s self-immolation is the biggest political
story of the day (btw, Letterman said Kerry is unique in his ability to not only lose his own races but, through his stupid comments, others’ races as well).
So, here’s to giving the "devil" his due. The right wing commentators are almost always wrong in my opinion. But, when they talk about a liberal bias in the mainstream media, they sure hit the nail on the head with today’s Times.
On Wednesday morning, it was incredibly predictable to read the Post’s crucifiction of Kerry. It was just as predictable to to barely see a word of it in the Times word. It used to be a PR professionals’ job to know the kind of stories a reporter did before pitching them. Now we have to examine the bias of the organization they work for as well.
With the Kerry flap, there’s one thing that hasn’t really been picked up on. Was this an attempt at a brand makeover, to change his image from Senator Flip-Flop Fancy-Boy to wild-eyed firebrand of the Democratic Party?
If so, it might be the quickest marketing fiasco since New Coke. In his memoirs, I’m sure Kerry will say “I was only trying to help.”
It really saddens me that every time I read an article or listen to the “news” on TV, I first have to think about who the media outlet is and what the political bias might be around this subject. Then, I can make up my mind on whether I believe some or any of the content.
Because I tend to be pretty moderate on most issues, both political ends of the media spectrum pretty much disgust me. Fox will NEVER report a bad item about Bush or his administration. That is simply absurd. Iraq is/could very well become the next Vietnam…but the Fox Network would call it a liberal lie or not address it at all.
And, you are dead on with The New York Times. Some of the best reporters in the world write for this newspaper…why can’t they report in an unbiased manner?