The WAPO is a Balanced Paper!
I was just watching a program with 83 year old Ben Bradly, former chief editor of the WAPO, and now a VP for something or another, on the subject of trust in the media, especially newspapers. As one might expect, he sees no bias, he sees no slant, and he sees no orders from the top to run or not run stories in the WAPO. In other words, from his perspective, the WAPO is a pristine paper, that runs stories in a balanced way! Time after time, he defended the WAPO against any and all charges of biased reporting, and took what help he could get from the other panelists, by accepting their excuses for bias elsewhere, such as in the NYT. I found it rather obvious what he was doing: spinning!
I have subscribed to the WAPO for a good part of 50 years, and I have watched it slant stories heavily in favor of the anti-Bush sentiment, in favor of the progressive agenda, and in favor of Democratic candidates throughout its last 15 or 20 years. All very subtle texchniques, but designed to put a negative twist on the Republicans and Bush wherever they find an opportunity. Mostly, they use loaded words, and negative adjectives to turn a straight story into yet another diatribe that tries to nudge the public mind in their direction, which at last count was heavily Liberal in both the newsroom and in the editorial staff. You know the drill: Kerry speaks forcefully to a large and sympathetic crowd; while Bush rails at the few that turned out to hear him, sort of phraseology, when they were both speaking to exactly the same audience!
It is all in the twists of mind by the reporters and the editors, and I do resent Mr. Bradly's disingenuous defense, although what should I have expected? For him to admit on public TV that the WAPO was biased as hell? Well, in my view they are very biased. So what is new?
# posted by Mannning @ 11:32 PM
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