The Push And Pull Over Press Bias

Bruce Bartlett, writing in the conservative National Review Online, has written the kind of piece that one rarely sees these days: One that tries to take an evenhanded and non-hysterical look at the issue of media bias.

Bartlett notes that charges of media bias used to come almost exclusively from the right; today, "[w]hile conservatives still believe that the major media are biased against them, one hears more and more criticism coming from the left." He argues that the media used to exhibit a left-wing bias, but that this bias has largely disappeared. And that, he claims, is what has liberals upset – they've lost their advantage. Well, that and the fact that "conservatives have become better at using the media, taking advantage of its institutional biases to spin stories in conservative directions."

I'm not endorsing Bartlett's position, though it sure is nice to read a discussion of this issue that goes beyond "the msm is liberal/conservative/corrupt/run by a cabal of Jewish financiers who live at the center of the earth."

In commenting on the story, NRO's Stephen Spruiell noted that the Politico recently opened up its editorial process in response to complaints from the liberal media critics at Media Matters. "Most of Media Matters' criticisms were baseless and silly, but some were justified," wrote Spruiell. "[I]n any case, the transparency of the process was to the benefit of readers and helped build Politico's credibility."

Paul McLeary at CJR, meanwhile, who I am compelled to point out is "my friend and former colleague," found a few things in Bartlett's piece to like. But he also had his problems with it. To wit: "What Bartlett is essentially calling for is a massive spin war between ideological enemies, with the remnants of the intellectually honest press caught in the middle, taking heat -- and spin -- from both sides. This doesn't sound like something that will further the interests of good journalism."

At the end of his piece, Bartlett advises his "liberal friends to stop whining about media bias," advice that both sides could surely benefit from. But we all know that's not going to happen. The media bias debate is sort of like a schoolyard tug of war, with media in the middle and liberals and conservatives both trying desperately to pull it in their direction. They even fund organizations to drive the bias drumbeat and help their cause. It's a political battle not much different than those over any hot-button issue. And the "whining," as Bartlett must know, is simply one more tactic in the effort to win the day.