Do you remember the Washington Post's coverage of the Monica episode, printing unsubstantiated leaks and gossip on the frontpage day after day after day? Do you remember Ceci Connally's demonization of Al Gore as she covered his 2000 campaign? Did the Post adequately call out the Swift Boat lies in 2004? Has any of this "bias" been addressed in the pages of the Post?
If our guy got a fair shake in the Post in 2008, it's about time!!!
* WP: Remedying the Bias Perception
By Deborah Howell, Ombudsman
Sunday, November 16, 2008; Page B06
Thousands of conservatives and even some moderates have complained during my more than three-year term that The Post is too liberal; many have stopped subscribing, including more than 900 in the past four weeks. It pains me to see lost subscribers and revenue, especially when newspapers are shrinking. Conservative complaints can be wrong: The mainstream media were not to blame for John McCain's loss; Barack Obama's more effective campaign and the financial crisis were.
But some of the conservatives' complaints about a liberal tilt are valid. Journalism naturally draws liberals; we like to change the world. I'll bet that most Post journalists voted for Obama. I did. There are centrists at The Post as well. But the conservatives I know here feel so outnumbered that they don't even want to be quoted by name in a memo....
Tom Rosenstiel, a former political reporter who directs the Project for Excellence in Journalism, said, "The perception of liberal bias is a problem by itself for the news media. It's not okay to dismiss it. Conservatives who think the press is deliberately trying to help Democrats are wrong. But conservatives are right that journalism has too many liberals and not enough conservatives. It's inconceivable that that is irrelevant."
Here are recent news decisions that brought conservative complaints; readers can judge for themselves:
· The Post put on Page 1 two long stories about "Troopergate" -- the allegation that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fired her state's public safety commissioner because he wouldn't dismiss her ex-brother-in-law from his state trooper's job. One of the Page 1 stories was eight paragraphs long, under a one-column headline on an inside page.
· The front page of the Oct. 10 Metro section featured a story and photo about Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) as a "giant-slayer" who had "won plaudits" for his work as head of the House Democrats' national campaign committee. The story only briefly mentioned his Republican opponent, Steven J. Hudson. A campaign story on both ran inside the paper.
· A Post Magazine spread on Oct. 5 about Michelle Obama, with a cover picture of the Obamas, was timed to the release of a book by Magazine writer Liza Mundy. There was no cover for John and Cindy McCain.
· Robin Givhan's Oct. 23 column exploring the disconnect between Palin's fancy duds and her hockey mom image ran on the Style cover just above an upbeat story about Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President-elect Joseph Biden. Conservatives thought the placement's message was "Bad Palin, Good Biden."
Combine these with the drumbeat of polling stories saying Obama and the Democrats were likely to win, a few Tom Toles cartoons and TV critic Tom Shales's debate reviews -- both are liberals who are paid to offer opinions -- and conservatives decided that The Post was cheerleading -- especially since they felt the paper hadn't sufficiently scrutinized Obama.
(NOTE: THIS IS ALL THEY'VE GOT? WHAT WHINING!)
The opinion pages have strong conservative voices; the editorial board includes centrists and conservatives; and there were editorials critical of Obama. Yet opinion was still weighted toward Obama. It's not hard to see why conservatives feel disrespected. Are there ways to tackle this? More conservatives in newsrooms and rigorous editing would be two....
Rosenstiel said, "There should be more intellectual diversity among journalists. More conservatives in newsrooms will bring about better journalism. We need to be more vigilant and conscious in looking for bias. Our aims are pure, but our execution sometimes is not. Staff members should feel in their bones that unfairness will never be tolerated."...
One more factor will kick in soon. After Obama is inaugurated, he will be the authority the news media challenge. It happens in every administration.
(NOTE: NOT IN THE LAST ONE, MS. HOWELL -- NOT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!)
Deborah Howell can be reached at: ombudsman@washpost.com.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403057.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
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