posted July 27, 2004 09:58 AM            

Media Bias: When ex-diplomat Joseph Wilson said President Bush lied, it set off a media stampede. When he turned out to be wrong, the hoofbeats fell silent.

In fact, as the chart below shows, that might be an understatement. The coverage is so one-sided that you might think something was at work here — something like, say, extreme media bias.

For a recap, the CIA sent Wilson to Niger to look into charges that Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein sought nuclear materials from Africa. Wilson reported that, no, Saddam hadn't; it was all a fraud.

For some, that was enough to debunk President Bush's sentence from his 2003 State of the Union Address, used to bolster the U.S. case for war with Iraq: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

After Wilson's report suggested Bush was wrong, the "Bush lied" chant began — amplified by Democratic Party activists and far-left anti-war groups like moveon.org.

The left lionized Wilson, who signed on as a Kerry adviser. But in the past month, two reports — one from the Senate Intelligence Committee, the other from Britain's so-called Butler Report on intelligence leading up to the Iraq War — both concluded Bush was right. Saddam sought uranium in Africa to make WMD.

Big news, right?

It wasn't treated that way. It got cursory treatment by the big media. Worst was CBS. It broadcast some 30 stories on Wilson's initial charges, according to Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz. It still hasn't done anything on the undoing of this big story.

That's right, nothing. For those keeping score: lies 30, truth 0.

This, of course, is media bias in action. It's what happens when the media all believe one thing, but deceive themselves by insisting they're objective and fair. They are, in fact, neither.

This is no surprise to those watching the 2004 presidential campaign. As Evan Thomas, Newsweek's assistant managing editor, recently let slip, the media "want Kerry to win." No surprise there.

We'll at least give The New York Times credit. Under the headline "Is The New York Times a Liberal Newspaper?" the news giant's public editor Daniel Okrent answered, "Of course it is."

Admitting your problem, as they say in the self-help biz, is the first step to a cure. Too bad the rest of the media are still in denial.

posted July 27, 2004 11:02 AM              

What can you say about that, really? It speaks for itself.

posted July 27, 2004 11:29 AM            

The leftist bias of the press is so blatant, so obvious that the only people who could miss it are those who have their eyes and ears totally closed. After all, why acknowledge the truth and lose a leftist talking point?

A few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times conducted a Presidential poll and declared Kerry leading Bush by about 7 percentage points. Problem the poll consisted of almost twice as many Democrats as Republicans and wasn't adjusted for political affiliations. Now if I conducted a poll of only Republicans, it would show Bush leading Kerry 100% to zip.

I'm on AOL and on any given day, the list of stories will list Kerry stories better than 3 to one compared to Bush. The lead line in the stories will read something like this:
Kerry makes campaign stop to cheering crowds in Iowa
Kerry unhappy with Bush tax cuts for the rich
Kerry wants improved Homeland Security
Bush denies he lied
Kerry assails Bush unilateral action in Iraq

Yep, it's confirmed, the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is pulling the news media's strings.

posted July 27, 2004 12:48 PM            

I don't think anyone can disprove the facts, but they will ignore them. I am not aware how people do that, but I guess Fantasy land really exists for them.

On that note, I had dinner with a friend the other night. We used to work together and I consider her to be intelligent. Fox news was on in the bar where we had a drink and I said something about liking O'Reilly, to which she starts in on how Fox is a total Republican station.

Then comes the questions...her eyes wide (she is a minority, like me- she is black and as most people here know I am hispanic / AI). So she says "Oh please girl, please tell me you are not so dumb as to be a Republican?"

I said 'well, I think my education proves otherwise as far as bieng dumb, and I think it is very educated for me to not only be Republican but also to have voted for Bush".

I thought she would fall of her chair as she then spit with venom "George Bush is the one that caused 9/11. He and the CIA did it so that he could get re-elected. You do know that his daddy is really running things".

She wasn't expecting my reaction. I cracked up. I mean, I literally laughed so hard I couldn't see, I couldn't talk, I thought I would pee myself. When I regained composure we talked about the issues. I won't say I changed her mind, but I did talk quite frankly about how I see the issues affecting minorities. The biggest on being that too many times the minority population wants to blame others for the cultural problems. I said we need to start taking care of our own instead of always accepting handouts.

At first I was a bit afraid. See, here in Maryland minority issues are VERY taboo. Basically if you say anything against or what is perceived to be against the African American population, then you are considered a racist. But it needed to be said and I used the Reservations as an example. People can choose to get off their butts and do something or wait for the government to take care of them.

posted July 27, 2004 02:52 PM            

The first time I ever read the charge that Bush and the CIA were behind 9/11, I thought someone was yanking my chain and then when I realized they were serious I was furious.

Hehehe, well, I'm a little surprised your friend didn't draw her crucifix immediately when you told her you're a Republican. It is a funny story and typical in some circles in America.

posted July 27, 2004 10:17 PM            

I just roll my eyes...yeah, okay, whatever. like we'd all just be smoking peace pipes or sitting around peacefully on siesta if it wasn't for them old white peeps. HELLO...we made war and stealing an art form. Ever hear of the Conquistadors? OR the Apache? Yeah..whatever....

I was at a Thanksgiving dinner where right before the host cut the Turkey he yells "And we HAVE NOTHING TO THANK THAT JERK GEORGE BUSH FOR THIS YEAR!!!" Ohhhhhkay...invite people over to your house to denounce the President and then preceed to act like a blithering idiot..hmmmmm..nice..

Needless to say, I never went back and I cut that dinner short.