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Each week we invite someone from outside PE to weigh in with their thoughts about CBS News and the media at large. This week we asked Paul Waldman, author and Senior Fellow for Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog group. Waldman shares his thoughts on why progressive media criticism is "not about bias." As always, the opinions expressed and factual assertions made in “Outside Voices” are those of the author, not ours, and we seek a wide variety of voices. Here's Paul:

As progressive media critics, we at Media Matters for America start off at something of a disadvantage. Unlike our counterparts on the right, we don’t have one simple answer to every question having to do with the news media. We don’t believe the media are irredeemably “biased,” or that reporters have hidden agendas and we can tell you what they are. What we do believe is that all too often, the American news media fail to serve the public.

Admittedly, making that case can at times require explanation. The accusation of bias, on the other hand, is easy to make and can’t be proven wrong. After all, when you accuse reporters of being biased, you’re saying you know what lies in their hearts, and you’ve discovered their sinister hidden agenda. Most importantly, you’re accusing them of having bad motives (and saying you know what those motives are).

We at Media Matters for America don’t claim to be able to read minds. Go to our web site and look through the thousands of items we’ve produced in the last two years, and you’ll find the factual errors, misleading statements, and sins of omission we’ve documented. What you won’t find is relentless accusations that reporters, commentators, or news outlets are “biased.” When we do an item on something that appeared in the news media, it’s because we can demonstrate that it was false or misleading, not because we just don’t like it.

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