Bernard Goldberg, the brilliant, former CBS correspondent (though I wouldn\’t bet on him getting any gigs on the network these days) has written an excellent column, in which he shows how media bias pervades even the seemingly innocuous act of identifying panel members on a political forum – before any politics is discussed.
Here is how he starts:
ChuckTodd, who hosts Meet the Press on NBC, opened his show the way heoften does, by introducing his panel of journalists. There was LukeRussert of NBC News, and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report, andthere was “Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post … and KenBlackwell, conservative columnist and former Ohio Secretary ofState.”
Didyou catch it? Eugene Robinson isn\’t the liberalcolumnist of the Washington Post. He\’s simply Eugene Robinson ofthe Washington Post. But Ken Blackwell is identified as a”conservativecolumnist.”
Mr. Goldberg goes on to tell us (as if we didn\’t know) that this is nothing new to the way political conservatives are handled on such shows. Later on he explains further:
Liberals, you see, don\’t have to be identified. Liberals, as far as liberal journalists like Chuck Todd are concerned, aren\’t controversial. They\’re middle of the road. Moderate. Mainstream. Not so with conservatives. They need a warning label.
They put warning labels on packs of cigarettes and pesticides because they can be dangerous to your health. And, as far as many liberals – both in and out of the media – are concerned, conservatives need warning labels because their ideas can be dangerous to your health. I mean, if liberal views are middle of the road, moderate and mainstream, conservative views, being the opposite, must be fringe. And fringe ideas, in the liberal worldview, are most likely racist, homophobic and misogynist ideas, which are … well … dangerous!
Yes. Exactly right. And we see it all the time, don\’t we?
Thank you, Mr. Goldberg, for your common sense logic and your honesty. Would that the folks in mainstream media – especially your former pals at CBS who got rid of Sharyl Attkisson last year for daring to see things as you do – took the hint and started identifying people across the political spectrum identically.
Don\’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen.
