It's not the press that is the problem

In response to Mark Bailey's letter on Aug. 4, about biased news: It's our own bias that causes us to view the press as biased. When the press prints something we don't like, the first reaction is that the press is biased.

Bailey's perspective showed a lot of bias - quote "There appear to be more extremists on the left than the right." I believe the opposite of that - my bias.

Regarding: "People in the media bubbles … judge their leaders by their words." "People who live in the middle … judge the leaders by their actions and results.": I am in the middle and I judge leaders by their words and results.

My bias is "character counts and Trump is creating a society of ruthlessness" and Bailey's bias is "the end justifies the means." We have a president who lies and bullies on a regular basis, got rich by often not paying his bills or employees, hardworking Americans, and repeatedly declared bankruptcy. Does his wealth justify his means?

I am an independent who voted for a Republican in the primary, but I cannot support a president who has no morals, character, or integrity. Why teach character counts to our kids in school? Why try to stop bullies when our president is one? When the press reports some of the things the president actually said, which is often irrelevant to the audience/topic, not true, and completely self-absorbed, i.e., his speech to the Boy Scouts, the press is not biased, those of us reading that news are.

I think he's abhorrent and damaging our great country, and you think he's accomplishing your goals. Stop making it about the press. They are critical to our democracy and we need them. The first thing dictators do is get rid of the free press.

Janet Knupp

Elgin