Back when I was more overtly a right-wing nut—when I simply read my NRA magazine and listened to Rush Limbaugh and nodded vigorously without a whole lot of investigation and thought—I joined in with other conservative-minded folk who lamented the apparent liberal bias of the news media. Now that I put some thought into my political views, I recognize that everybody has a spin they put on political “news.” And, for the most part, I tend to keep my views to myself, as the politicians I will likely support say and do enough goofy things on their own to validate at least some of the attacks they receive.
However, upon John McCain’s announcement that he had chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate, I find my head spinning as the news media revert back to the bold-faced bias of the 80s. It seems that every reporter and anchor has had their press credentials printed on the back of their membership card for the Democratic Party.
Maybe I’ve gotten soft in my thinking over the past decade, believing that news has been reported more even-handedly in the past few years. Maybe I’ve let my guard down and let myself be taken in by the friendly banter of Good Morning America’s crew. But now that the Republican ticket has been announced and the campaign is well underway, the smiles are gone, replaced by looks of open disgust. No more pleasant discussions about any topic; it’s back to slash and burn.
It’s sad, really, to see people I’ve come to trust as rational adults revert to childish name calling and snarky, sarcastic remarks. While it seemed that they were capable of reporting only the facts, even when they may have disagreed with conservative philosophy, it has become clear that they cannot be trusted.