Sandy GholstonFirst and foremost, I don’t think I will ever be able to understand how someone who is supposed to be analyzing bias in the media brings on biased partisans to discuss bias.
Yet, it seems every Sunday on CNN’s Reliable Sources, host Howard Kurtz routinely brings on biased analysts to discuss bias in the media.
But, that is just my regular beef with Kurtz.
Media Matters for America has another topic about Howard Kurtz that caught my attention.
Kurtz is either too afraid to strongly and consistently call out Fox News for its pro-conservative bias or he too is a closet conservative masquerading as nonpartisan.
Here is what Media Matters posted:
Howard Kurtz suggests Fox’s “news programming” is balanced and the Washington Post‘s editorial page is liberal:
Knoxville, Tenn.: Why do so many media outlets, when mentioning “Fox News”, say “which some say has conservative views”? This seems to be the equivalent of saying “The Washington Post, which some say is a newspaper…”
Why is the rest of the press corp afraid to call a spade a spade, particularly when (as in this case) it is so virulently blatant?
Howard Kurtz: Because some say a distinction must be made between Fox’s opinion shows (O’Reilly, Beck, Hannity) and its news programming. Just as you have to make a distinction between The Post’s news pages and its left-leaning editorial page.
Even if we buy what Kurtz is selling right there it still is ridiculous. He suggests we should distinguish between the news content and commentary content of Fox News (with respect to bias). But, even the commentary is all far-right commentary when you look at Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity (all far to the right of the political mainstream). Throw in Greta Van Susteren, Fox and Friends, Greg Gutfeld, etc. … and you see the pattern that becomes all too clear. Where is the balance there?
Also, as Media Matters points out, it is insulting of Kurtz to think that we’re too stupid to see the well-documented instances of Fox News bias from its news programming (cheerleading Tea Party protests, openly promoting Republican Scott Brown in his candidacy for U.S. Senate and more).
Check out the Media Matters for America article to see the full depth and breadth of how Kurtz seems to think we’re too stupid to see the bias of Fox News that runs almost 24/7 (nevermind the garbage on Fox Nation).
Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001250017
