News media marked by subtle biases

Growing up in Chicago in the early 1960s, I often heard the joke that if the Sun-Times forecast sunny, the Tribune would forecast cloudy. Always opposing viewpoints, but somewhere in the middle was the “truth.” Over time, I saw that this counterpoint was lost in our media. It now appears that media is center left.

How can I say that? Look to the words of this newspaper itself. Jim Slusher writes in his column about Joe Walsh and the “repeated lie” about the liberal media bias, yet he singles out broadcast bloviators in a not-so-veiled attack on Fox News. The Daily Herald’s “Our View” editorial painted a picture of the Supreme Court’s “most controversial” ruling making George Bush president. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that story; yet, the final and certified vote count did give Florida to the Republicans. Controversial or correct? It depends how you view it, left or right.

I look to the newspaper reporters to give me the facts, and if someone has an opinion, it should be so noted so. I vote independent, but it is clear to me that the news media are not balanced with their Joe Walsh reporting. Burt Constable wrote a piece about a rally in Huntley recently that focused more on the protesters (and their superPAC) than the message of the candidate. A visually pleasing picture of a protester was offset by the written image of rally person “with a flag in her right hand and a cigarette in her left.” Facts or information on how to contact the superPAC; how can one decide?

Somewhere along the journey, new blood came into the news media that did not have the balance of the mentors they replaced. Where is the point/counterpoint that leads one to the “truth”?

John Lenz

Inverness