The one-sidedness of the media was demonstrated in a recent New York Times poll that showed Beltway journalists as being for Senator John Kerry by 12 to 1. Some may claim that, however they vote, this does not stop them from reporting the news straight. But there is too much evidence that it does.
Evan Thomas of Newsweek is a liberal, but he is also candid enough to admit that there is a liberal bias in the way news is reported. He estimates that this bias is worth 15 percentage points in the polls for Democrats.
If so, then Senator Kerry's poll numbers would be 15 points lower than they are -- which means he would be completely out of it -- if the media reported the news straight. But, with the liberal media spinning the news his way, Kerry is still in the running.
Maybe that is why CBS' "60 Minutes" has run story after story about what George W. Bush supposedly did or did not do in the National Guard more than 30 years ago -- and why they seem not to have been too finicky about their evidence.
The big question is how long the public will stand by the three big broadcast networks that used to have a virtual monopoly of television news and public affairs programs. Just last month, for the first time, a cable network -- Fox News -- had a larger audience for its broadcast of the Republican convention than any of the established big three broadcast networks had.
Fox News' motto -- "We report, you decide" -- is apparently attracting viewers who are wising up to the slanted reporting in the mainstream media. Talk radio and Internet blog sites are also claiming their share of the declining audience for news from CBS, ABC, and NBC.
It's about time!