Net Heads: We're Biased, In the Sense That We're Too Right-Wing

The only time the networks will ever admit bias is to confess the possibility they're insufficiently left-wing, and too easy on Republicans.

How many round-tables have you seen on Nightline and the like to discuss whether the news is biased against blacks? Oversensationalizing crime and creating a phantasmal fear of random violence? Not sufficiently interested in "women's issues"? Not diverse enough?

Etc., etc., etc. All of these "biases" the networks are willing to explore, ad nauseum. But the one sort of bias they will not even confess the possibility of -- indeed, they won't even mention it-- is the one bias of which they are transparently guilty.

So it comes as no shock to learn that network news executives are displeased with their recent coverage. As usual, they were just too goshdarn right-wing:

Heyward and his colleagues Neal Shapiro of NBC and David Westin of ABC also expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of their coverage, saying that they were not sufficiently skeptical of the Bush Administration's case for deposing Saddam Hussein.

Andy Heyward, Andy Heyward... why does that name sound so darn familiar?

Oh yeah: Head of CBSNews during Rathergate (and continues to be). Expressed full support of Dan Rather; insisted the forged documents were "accurate" if not actually authentic.

And his one regret?

He was too in bed with Bush.

Yeahp. That's what I was thinking, too.

posted by Ace at 04:58 PM

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