Word choice shows paper's political bias

I am quite sure that you are not as tired of reading my screeds as I am of writing them. I subscribe to your newspaper for the main purpose of getting the news, i.e. factual and accurate retelling of current events. The key words factual and accurate specifically preclude writer's bias or misleading information.

In an AP news story that you published last week, the AP reporter stated, "... GOP leaders who would rather spend the time trumpeting their call to expand offshore drilling..." Does this sound unbiased to you? Would it sound unbiased to anyone? Even the headline states, "Republicans block heating aid bill."

The real story here is that the Republicans are determined to develop a joint energy policy immediately and before other less critical legislation. In fact, your version of the story actually excluded an entire paragraph that appeared in the same AP story as published elsewhere. "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is vehemently against letting the House vote on offshore drilling. She and Democratic leaders in the Senate also have shut down normal summer work on spending bills to prevent offshore drilling from getting a legislative footing in the appropriations committees."

This paragraph changes the entire emphasis of the story. Since a majority of Americans favor the expansion of oil drilling, this paragraph exposes the roadblock to drilling that Democrats pose. Perhaps the headline should have read: "Democrats refuse to consider expanded drilling."

This is not a simple matter of interpretation. The words "rather spend," and "trumpeting" were carefully chosen when other less judgmental words could have been used. And the exclusion of an entire illuminating paragraph on the Democratic obstruction was omitted.

The biases and misleading articles will surely lead to the demise of all hard news publications if this trend continues. It will make no sense to subscribe to a newspaper if the news is constantly suspect.

John Skaritka

Elgin