ABC Admits Reporters Target Republicans

If you're wondering why the media establishment screams long and hard when Republicans say something politically incorrect but virtually ignores the disgraceful rantings of Sen. Patty "Osama Mama" Murray, Rep. Charlie Rangel, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Rep. Jim Moran, Sen. Robert "KKK" Byrd and so on, ABC has a confession to make.

Yes, this is the same ABC that pays millions of dollars to its anti-American foreign anchorman, Peter Jennings, so he can drive millions of viewers away to cable news. (For a look at Jennings' astonishingly biased coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom, check out Media Research Center.)

Here's a fascinating item today on the overhyped Santorum story from "The Note," a column by ABC News' political unit: Mark Halperin, Marc Ambinder, David Chalian and Brooke Brower.

"Could anyone deny that most Washington reporters tend to move more aggressively to bring down Republicans in trouble than Democrats in trouble?

"And could anyone deny that Democratic operatives work harder to build the kind of relationships with journalists that pay off at times like these?

"And could anyone deny the causal connection between the phenomena described in the previous two paragraphs?

"In any event, it's pretty clear that a Democratic party, which still is trying to figure out what it does well with its current array of personnel, is exercising the same muscles that allowed it to score point after point in driving Trent Lott from the leadership," the four reporters write.

P.S.: Yes, Lara Jakes Jordan, the wire service reporter who wrote the original story about Santorum, is married to veteran Democrat operative Jim Jordan, manager of Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid and former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Kerry, D-Mass., was among the first to criticize Santorum's remarks Tuesday and exploited it as an opportunity to attack the White House.

Here are more details:

MEDIA CONFESSIONAL

From ABC’s The Note:

Like every other institution, the Washington and political press corps operate with a good number of biases and predilections.

They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared sense that liberal political positions on social issues like gun control, homosexuality, abortion, and religion are the default, while more conservative positions are "conservative positions."

They include a belief that government is a mechanism to solve the nation's problems; that more taxes on corporations and the wealthy are good ways to cut the deficit and raise money for social spending and don't have a negative affect on economic growth; and that emotional examples of suffering (provided by unions or consumer groups) are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories.

More systematically, the press believes that fluid narratives in coverage are better than static storylines; that new things are more interesting than old things; that close races are preferable to loose ones; and that incumbents are destined for dethroning, somehow.

The press, by and large, does not accept President Bush's justifications for the Iraq war -- in any of its WMD, imminent threat, or evil-doer formulations. It does not understand how educated, sensible people could possibly be wary of multilateral institutions or friendly, sophisticated European allies.

It does not accept the proposition that the Bush tax cuts helped the economy by stimulating summer spending.

It remains fixated on the unemployment rate.

It believes President Bush is "walking a fine line" with regards to the gay marriage issue, choosing between "tolerance" and his "right-wing base."

It still has a hard time understanding how, despite the drumbeat of conservative grass-top complaints about overspending and deficits, President Bush's base remains extremely and loyally devoted to him -- and it looks for every opportunity to find cracks in that base.

Of course, the swirling Joe Wilson and National Guard stories play right to the press's scandal bias -- not to mention the bias towards process stories (grand juries produce ENDLESS process!).

The worldview of the dominant media can be seen in every frame of video and every print word choice that is currently being produced about the presidential race.

That means the President's communications advisers have a choice:

Try to change the storyline and the press' attitude, or try to win this election without changing them.

Sometimes the truth comes out!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.