I know that we live in a free society where our First Amendment rights include the freedoms of expression and the press. I'm also aware that our media outlets are notorious for their biased representation of the facts. But must we give up on the ideal of impartial news coverage and accept political endorsements from the news media?
I'm an information junkie. I love to follow my curiosity and discover things I've always wanted to know. The internet has enabled me to feed my hunger for truth. Those who know me well can testify to how often I announce, "I'm going to look that up right now!" and quickly open up Google, Snopes, orIMDB (among other sites) to search out the answer to a question. But thanks to the ease with which anyone can publish information and the proliferation of biased "news" reports, it is sometimes extremely difficult to differentiate fact from fiction. What should have been an awesome tool has become a Pandora's box!
When newspapers endorse political candidates, they effectively announce their bias for all to see. I guess I can consider that bias when I read their reports, but I still wish I could trust a single news source for unbiased reporting.
Naturally, I searched the 'net for a concise list of newspapers and the candidates they have endorsed, but I was unable to find such a list. If anyone can find it, PLEASE notify me ASAP. I did find plenty of watchdog sites who report on the bias of the media, and I found articles by political analysts on whether or not newspaper bias has an impact on election results. I searched several candidates' sites for a listing of their endorsements, but since not all candidates published such a list, I didn't feel it was a fair comparison. All told, my search on this subject has stretched my post into a two-hour ordeal!
Now I must admit defeat and end the search. I'm officially a skeptic of the American media. (Wow, it's as if I'm channeling the spirit of my grandfather!) But at least I'm not alone. Check out this article.
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