Instead of Trying More, Mainstream Media Attacks Others

I've covered media bias a lot in this blog. Just try being a skeptic about media bias after coverage like their failure to investigate Van Jones or any of the other czars; their failure to cover the tea parties; their name calling of protesters at town halls; Obama's ties to ACORN; or the ACORN mess.

If you're somehow still a skeptic, maybe their excuse-making over failing to cover ACORN will do it. Then again, maybe not. Consider:

• Dean Baquet from The New York Times, when talking about Glenn Beck, made excuses: "He’s not a newsman and that’s not a news show. He’s not trying to cover the economy, two wars, health care, the aftermath from one administration to another, negotiations with Iran or North Korea." (1) So, instead of admitting his failure, he is attacking Glenn Beck. My kids do the same thing at home with each other.


• Andrew Alexander from The Washington Post agrees with the press' critics, sort of: "It's tempting to dismiss such gimmicks. Fox News, joined by right-leaning talk radio and bloggers, often hypes stories to apocalyptic proportions while casting competitors as too liberal or too lazy to report the truth. But they're also occasionally pumping legitimate stories." (2)


• Fred Zipp from The Austin American-Statesman says, "Second, we’re not Fox, and we resist letting Fox set our agenda. The story is only now beginning to catch fire among the news sources that we trust. As they offer stories that dissect ACORN, its activities, the origin of the controversy and the credibility of its principal antagonists, we will publish them." (3). So, what organizations do you trust and should you continue trusting them?


• James Rainey at The Los Angeles Times decides just to attack: "Politicians have known for some time that they can be punked by hidden video. Now nurses, doctors, teachers, cops, social workers -- just about everyone -- ought to get ready for their unflattering close-ups." (4)

So, what we hear from these people are condescending remarks about petty journalism and attempts to marginalize people because they are conservative.

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1. Calderone, Michael and Mike Allen (2009, September 15). "Conservatives score string of scoops". Politico.
Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Politico

2. Alexander, Andrew (2009, September 20). "Wrongly Deaf to Right-Wing Media?". The Washington Post.
Retrieved September 23, 2009, from The Washington Post

3. Zipp, Fred (2009, September 16). "ACORN and News". Austin American-Statesman.
Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Austin American-Statesman

4. Rainey, James (2009, September 23). "Mainstream media and ACORN-like video stings". The Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Los Angeles Times