Truth is ... everybody believes the media is biased. So biased in fact, none other than Tom Brokaw recently told the Associated Press that there's "an awful lot of commentary disguised as reporting ..."
I'm sure some of you out there disagree with me, and to that I say fine, disagree.
Tim Groseclose, a political scientist at UCLA, lead a study to objectively quantify bias in a variety of media outlets. You can read all about it here, but let me share a little of it with you now.
"I suspected that many media outlets would tilt to the left because surveys have shown that reporters tend to vote more Democrat than Republican," said Tim Groseclose. "But I was surprised at just how pronounced the distinctions are."
Of the 20 major media outlets studied, 18 scored left of center, with CBS' "Evening News," The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times ranking second, third and fourth most liberal behind the news pages of The Wall Street Journal.
An additional feature of the study shows how each outlet compares in political orientation with actual lawmakers. The news pages of The Wall Street Journal scored a little to the left of the average American Democrat, as determined by the average ADA score of all Democrats in Congress (85 versus 84). With scores in the mid-70s, CBS' "Evening News" and The New York Times looked similar to Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who has an ADA score of 74.
"No matter the results, we feared our findings would've been suspect if we'd received support from any group that could be perceived as right- or left-leaning, so we consciously decided to fund this project only with our own salaries and research funds that our own universities provided," Groseclose said.
The bias has become so incredible, that most "news" outlets should be labeled accordingly. Hey, they want to demand that you and I don't eat trans-fats, maybe a better idea is to demand media outlets to disclose their political affiliations and voting records. How's that for some regulation?
US Weekly has taken bias to a new low. Take a look at the covers of two recent issues.
First the media went on attack about her experience (more about that in a minute), then they started trumpeting a lie spread by Daily Kos about Palin's new-born son. In classic, spineless character, Kos has taken the original story down.
Then they went after her teenage daughter. Next, it was a DUI Todd Palin got more than 20 years ago, before they were even married. And now, they're desperately attempting to create "Troopergate". Let's check the Anchorage Daily News for some details. You be the judge.
When the investigation appeared to stall, Palin -- more than a year before she was elected governor, and about two months before launching her campaign -- pushed trooper commanders to take action against Wooten.
"The record clearly indicates a serious and concentrated pattern of unacceptable and at times, illegal activity occurring over a lengthy period, which establishes a course of conduct totally at odds with the ethics of our profession," Col. Julia Grimes, then head of Alaska State Troopers, wrote in March 1, 2006, letter suspending Wooten for 10 days.
Troopers eventually investigated 13 issues and found four in which Wooten violated policy or broke the law or both:
• Wooten used a Taser on his stepson.
• He illegally shot a moose.
• He drank beer in his patrol car on one occasion.
• He told others his father-in-law would "eat a f'ing lead bullet" if he helped his daughter get an attorney for the divorce.
The troopers' investigation into Wooten began after Chuck Heath -- Wooten's father-in-law and Palin and McCann's dad -- alerted troopers about a domestic violence protective order McCann had obtained against Wooten on April 11, 2005.
"Extreme verbal abuse & violent threats & physical intimidation," McCann wrote in her April 11, 2005, petition to the court. He had driven drunk multiple times, threatened her father, told her to "put a leash on your sister and family or I'm going to bring them down," her petition says. A judge issued a 20-day protective order to keep Wooten away.
And now the supermarket tabloid, The National Enquirer, is attempting a smear campaign alleging an extra-marital affair. It's gotten so bad, so fast, that even Hillary Clinton's top aides are angry about it, calling it a sexist double standard by the news media and Democrats.
Yet not a peep about Obama's 20+ year relationship with known terrorist Bill Ayers ... his blogger Mike Klonsky ... or his relationship with recently convicted felon Antonin Rezko, who holds dual-citizenship in the US and Syria, and who's business associate, Aiham Alsammarae is a fugitive from Iraqi justice where he was convicted of stealing $650 million from the people of Iraq and the united States.
I guess a DUI 20 some years ago and a teenage pregnancy is much bigger news.
Cue the music ... Governor Sarah Palin: Are You Experienced?
We already covered her executive experience, which far out-weighs the experience of Barack Obama, the Democrat hopeful for President. So I wanted to leave you with the following, from Blackfive.net, a site dedicated to Major Mathew E. Schram who was the Support Operations Officer for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Support the Troops!
Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It's on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.
As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism.
She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.
Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.
According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.
She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is.
