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A rather surprising admission by some ABC News staffers (aka a Bernie Goldberg moment)?

Feb 16, 2004 9:00AM PST
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Feb1004.html

In the News Summary for Feb 10th, 2004:

Like every other institution, the Washington and political press corps operate with a good number of biases and predilections.

They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared sense that liberal political positions on social issues like gun control, homosexuality, abortion, and religion are the default, while more conservative positions are "conservative positions."

They include a belief that government is a mechanism to solve the nation's problems; that more taxes on corporations and the wealthy are good ways to cut the deficit and raise money for social spending and don't have a negative affect on economic growth; and that emotional examples of suffering (provided by unions or consumer groups) are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories...

The press, by and large, does not accept President Bush's justifications for the Iraq war -- in any of its WMD, imminent threat, or evil-doer formulations. It does not understand how educated, sensible people could possibly be wary of multilateral institutions or friendly, sophisticated European allies.

It does not accept the proposition that the Bush tax cuts helped the economy by stimulating summer spending.

It remains fixated on the unemployment rate.

It believes President Bush is "walking a fine line" with regards to the gay marriage issue, choosing between "tolerance" and his "right-wing base."

It still has a hard time understanding how, despite the drumbeat of conservative grass-top complaints about overspending and deficits, President Bush's base remains extremely and loyally devoted to him -- and it looks for every opportunity to find cracks in that base.

Of course, the swirling Joe Wilson and National Guard stories play right to the press's scandal bias -- not to mention the bias towards process stories (grand juries produce ENDLESS process!).

The worldview of the dominant media can be seen in every frame of video and every print word choice that is currently being produced about the presidential race.
(all emphases mine)

It's nice to know that, for once, an establishment media company can be honest about it!

Discussion is locked

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Interesting, but easy to miss.
Feb 16, 2004 9:24AM PST

I had to search to find it.

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Not to mention other biases ...
Feb 16, 2004 9:41AM PST

It's good to see that at least some of the press corps are a little aware of how biased their viewpoint is.

The press in general has other non-political biases, including biases that people who appear to be living righteous lives are obviously covering something up. They are biased that no thinking person could possibly believe moral behavior is a practical option in both personal and private life. And so forth.

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Re: Not to mention other biases ...
Feb 16, 2004 12:37PM PST

Hi, Dr. Bill.

I don't think it's a bias that "no thinking person could possibly believe moral behavior is a practical option " -- I think it's more that experience has shown that some of those who appear (pretend?) to be leading righteous lives really aren't. Prominent examples that come instantly to mind are Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert, J. Edgar Hoover, Roy Cohn, and former Maryland Congressman Bauman, who was one of the leading "Christian Right" leaders on anti-gay legislation until he was "outed."

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