Can't We All Just Get Along?

I've been hearing about the media bias ever since I became aware of the difference between conservatism and liberalism, but I was never convinced that the institution I was a part of for almost two-decades could take a personal oath to be impartial, yet hold up a middle finger to those ideals if their paychecks came from a corporation that was less than impartial.

I was wrong.

It does come from both sides.  It's not arguable that the majority of successful talk radio programs are conservative in nature.  It's not just Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Mark Levin... it's also the local hosts on the nation's majority of radio stations that share a conservative philosophy and are all too proud to espouse that philosophy at any that time the particular host somehow feels those ideals are being threatened.  Don't get me wrong, radio has cheerleaders on the other side as well.  Detroit's WJR radio is a mouthpiece for any pro-union voter, as are other stations found in traditionally blue, union-based metros.

But the dichotomy between radio and television couldn't be more disparate.  While conservative voices dominate radio ratings, the television media is so overwhelmingly liberal that it's become sadly laughable, or laughingly sad.  Today's example:

Rush Limbaugh delivered the keynote address for the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC today.  Several ballrooms in the facility were packed to the gills, and the address, Rush's "first television address to the nation" as he pronounced with self-mocking pride, was carried live on C-Span, Fox News and CNN, and possibly others as well.

... before I continue let me digress for a second.  I know that Fox News is viewed as the conservative lapdog of the media.  I get that.  I will give them credit though.  Despite the entire blocks of time they dedicate to conservative shows, i.e., the aforementioned Hannity and Beck; when doing ACTUAL NEWS, they do make a valiant attempt to remain impartial and just report the news.  More than once when conservatism slips into a story I've seen a host stop and say, "Now, to remain fair and balanced I must also report that..." and then they report the liberal response, or liberal side of the news story and then offer no other comment.  In fact, as I continue this blog entry I need to write a disclaimer here that says that I'm not talking about show hosts like Larry King or Bill O'Reilly or Chris Matthews.  I'm talking about actual news reporting.  To be sure, the 24-hour news phenomenon has woefully blurred the lines between news reporting and opinion, but I'm talking about reporting in the strictest sense here, as best I can.  Digression complete...

So, Rush speaks to the CPAC today and it's carried all over.  Directly following the keynote address, CNN and FOX News immediately start to recap and react, something I truly wish they wouldn't do for every single news event, but they do anyway.

Fox News analysts played down the speech as a partisan pep rally, then they got conservative and liberal opinions about the speech, and generally didn't make a big deal out of it.  The GOP appreciates Rush Limbaugh, but they don't rally around him as the conservative mouthpiece... the Republican messiah.  In fact there's a push among GOP leaders to amend their principles towards a more moderate agenda and one Republican standout, Tim Pawlenty, is one of those who has said he wants to reach the "Wal-Mart voter".   Rush doesn't speak for them, and he probably won't be a voice that the GOP will rally behind until the GOP figures out who they are again after the beating they've taken over the past few election cycles.

For those repubs, I might add - Bush's policy went more moderate towards the end of his Presidency and you see where that got us, don't you?  But I digress again... back to it.  Rush's speech and the media reaction...

While Fox invited views from both sides, CNN fought back hard against the anti-liberal message by showing a few entries from their Twitter feed on which their viewers were likening Rush to Hitler, talking about how depressed the GOP must be if Limbaugh is all they have as "their voice" and generally ripping the whole thing apart.  They did not showcase a single positive comment from a single conservative viewer that may have happened not to abandon the network like many conservatives have.

I liked Brian Williams.  I think he's intelligent, funny and respectful.  I liked Katie Couric.  I think she's intelligent, funny and respectful.  Same thing for Barbara Walters.  But something happened.  I don't respect them anymore.  Maybe it's the source of their paycheck or maybe there was something in the Kool-Aid, but the liberal slant has never been more pronounced and unapologetic.

But perhaps the saddest piece of this media puzzle is the continual negative message the public receives.  It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat.  Pundits on both sides argue to the point that you can't hear what anyone is saying.  Hannity can't let the election results go, Chris Matthews won't let a conservative get an argument in edgewise, Limbaugh poked partisan remarks at Obama, Clinton, Reid, Barney Franks and Joe Biden.  He even called Democrats the enemy.  

How are we supposed to unite as a people?  How is our Congress supposed to ever learn to compromise and value each other's opinions?  How will we ever grow together as fellow Americans if our politicians, our entertainers and our news reporters can't lay down the hatred and be respectful and mature when they disagree with each other?  How will Americans ever learn the truth if our media continues to SPIN the news rather than report it?

The whole industry needs a reset.  Politics need a reset.  I'm not a fan of political correctness, but I do believe that it's time for everyone to grow up and listen to the other side before they open their mouths to offer debate.  I don't always succeed at that, but I do give it my best effort.

...and that's the way I see it.