Biased: Reporters' Political Donations Again Confirms Long-Known (But Oft-Denied) 9:1 D:R Split In Media

MSNBC highlights the giving of $5000 to a Repubican PAC by an O'Reilly researcher, but fails to note that, even at Fox, most of the journalists giving money give to Democrats.

Here's how one reporter working for a Fox affiliate explained his donation to a Democratic PAC:

"I also believe that the station doesn't own my political views and values. Did I make the contribution? I did. We all have political opinions in this business. A lot of us want to be politically active. But marching in a war protest isn't an option, being a recognizable person, so we give with our checkbook. I don't think that working for a news organization I give up my rights. I interview plenty of people that I don't agree with, but I also ask questions to get the other side. I think it's actually an advantage — in a news organization we have people of many political views. We have healthy debates. I think it's my civic duty to be involved in what matters to me. I think it's ridiculous that anyone who's sitting in front of a camera doesn't have an opinion — come on, we all do. Did I think about that at the time? No, I didn't. Maybe I should have. But I still feel I have a right to my civic duties."

A New Yorker writer likened his donation to defeat Bush as on par with the murder of Adolf Hitler:

"Probably there should be a rule against it," said New Yorker writer Mark Singer, who wrote the magazine's profile of Howard Dean during the 2004 campaign, then gave $250 to America Coming Together and its get-out-the-vote campaign to defeat President Bush. "But there's a rule against murder. If someone had murdered Hitler — a journalist interviewing him had murdered him — the world would be a better place. I only feel good, as a citizen, about getting rid of George Bush, who has been the most destructive president in my lifetime. I certainly don't regret it."

So much rich, chocolately nuance here I'm having a cocoa flashback.

posted by Ace at 02:13 PM

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