[Speed Gibson,
Sunday August 22, 2004 at 11:27pm]
Media Bias
The new book "Unfit for Command" openly refutes much of Senator John Kerry's service in Vietnam. To date, virtually nothing the "Swift Vets" allege has been refuted, which if their claims were false, would be easily done. Mr. Kerry need only authorize the release of his military records. Make that the full release of his records, as we're still waiting for the full release of his medical records that he promised on Meet the Press earlier this year.
The mainstream press has all but ignored the substance of these charges, other than to note Kerry's recasting of his favorite Cambodia story, given its many errors in detail. It's starting to seep out now, but strictly following the Democratic Party talking points, attacking the sources, not disputing the charges. Chris Matthews, at best a political pundit before, now is merely a hack, a Democratic hack to be specific given his equally unfounded and vicious attacks on the veterans.
Compare this non-coverage of well-documented charges to the earlier coverage of the unsupported charges regarding President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, that he was "AWOL" for a time. Every release of an addition document refuting the charge only brought more questions from the mainstream press. One particular press conference was a frenzy of "well OK, but what if .." scenarios that would acknowledge the new evidence without exonerating Bush.
This is a teachable moment, that any claim that the mainstream press (all but 1 cable network, 2 newspapers, talk radio, and the blogosphere) does not have a significant leftist bias is null and void. There have been many studies that assert this, culminating with the best-selling book Bias by veteran CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg. There are claims to the contrary, of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy" that make the media conservative in nature, but no evidence is ever provided.
So if someone denies that the media is not even unintentionally biased to the left, realize that there are only two possibilities: that someone is either ignorant or lying.
The mainstream press has all but ignored the substance of these charges, other than to note Kerry's recasting of his favorite Cambodia story, given its many errors in detail. It's starting to seep out now, but strictly following the Democratic Party talking points, attacking the sources, not disputing the charges. Chris Matthews, at best a political pundit before, now is merely a hack, a Democratic hack to be specific given his equally unfounded and vicious attacks on the veterans.
Compare this non-coverage of well-documented charges to the earlier coverage of the unsupported charges regarding President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, that he was "AWOL" for a time. Every release of an addition document refuting the charge only brought more questions from the mainstream press. One particular press conference was a frenzy of "well OK, but what if .." scenarios that would acknowledge the new evidence without exonerating Bush.
This is a teachable moment, that any claim that the mainstream press (all but 1 cable network, 2 newspapers, talk radio, and the blogosphere) does not have a significant leftist bias is null and void. There have been many studies that assert this, culminating with the best-selling book Bias by veteran CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg. There are claims to the contrary, of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy" that make the media conservative in nature, but no evidence is ever provided.
So if someone denies that the media is not even unintentionally biased to the left, realize that there are only two possibilities: that someone is either ignorant or lying.