by Donald Finley

Created on: June 17, 2008

The mainstream media's political bias is ever present. It has been since the beginning of the primary season, and there is no reason to believe it won't continue through the election and beyond. Take a look at the Media Research Center website (www.mrc.org) and it will amaze you.

Everyone knows there is media bias, but the extent of it is shocking. Maybe it's better to say "insulting". That's what is important to know about media bias, that it assumes ignorance, an inability to think for ourselves, and a willingness to be spoon-fed opinions. Unfortunately, there are many Americans who are just too lazy to do the work it takes to form responsible positions on the most critical of issues. They adopt the last opinion they heard as their own and if asked why they believe that way, they can't answer. They are the saddest form of manipulated media puppets. They don't even know it.

The news business and the entertainment business are one in the same. News anchors are celebrities who have to get ratings, so they have to provide that special ingredient that raises them above the others. They intermix commentary with news, choose their words to clearly show their favorites, and highlight negatives to attempt to level the playing field. If A and B are not equal, and clearly A is superior, then to level the playing field, since it is impossible to make B as good as A, then we have to take A down to B's level.

If we look at Obama and McCain, what are the adjectives you most frequently hear? Have you noticed "old" referring to McCain? It's nearly blatant age discrimination. But Obama is "young" and "new". The Media Research Center's front page refers to "something special", "excited" and "magic moments" used to describe Obama. If you want advice or work done on your house, do you pick "young" and "new", or do you pick "experienced"? The media has turned youth and inexperience in politics into a virtue. That's just like Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

Count in any newspaper or on any website how many times you see the candidates' names. Count how many times you see a candidate's picture. On the TV news, time how long the station covers one candidate's speech as compared to how long you hear the other's comments. Pay attention to the endorsements listed, or the endorsement comments. You will have little doubt who is favored by that media outlet, and it will likely be Obama. Why? Because he is more newsworthy. McCain is a known quantity. The press would prefer to have Obama because he feeds right into their mold of new kid on the block with lots of stories in him.

Don't play the media's game. Be smart. Do your own research. Vary your news sources. Form your own opinions and be able to defend them. Understand why you believe what you believe. But no matter what, don't believe everything you hear that's called news.

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