Washington Post (fairness pays?)

Newsmax ^ | 6/2/2009 | Ronald Kessler

[Kansas58]

"When media executives look at their shrinking audiences, they rarely attribute the decline to their liberal bias in covering the news. But recent developments at the Washington Post demonstrate that a return to fair coverage attracts readers.

Since Katharine Weymouth became publisher more than a year ago, and she named Marcus Brauchli, a former Wall Street Journal editor, executive editor in September, the paper has been making an honest effort to be fair.

Wash. Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth

Hit jobs against Bush administration programs and Republicans in general have virtually vanished. Instead, the paper presents issues fairly. No longer is the other side suppressed or relegated to the last paragraph.

Obituaries on such conservative icons as Paul Weyrich and Jack Kemp have run on page one. In contrast, the New York Times ran Kemp’s obituary on page B10, and Weyrich’s, on B11.

As its second lead on May 21, the Washington Post ran a story saying that the “financial system, frozen solid for the past nine months, is in a spring thaw. And it’s happening even though many of the Obama administration’s major rescue programs have yet to get off the ground.”

[Kansas58]

Yes, circulation is down a bit, but Kessler is correct:

In a tough economy, the Washington Post is doing far better at subscriptions and revenue than ANY of its competitors!

[Vigilanteman]

Ollie North used to say that he read the Holy Bible and the Washington Post everyday so he could understand the agenda of both sides.

[exist]

Look at MSNBC— they would rather lose their jobs than be objective.

[PGR88]

The Compost is not “fair.”

It is 100% pro-Obama, and one will never read a negative word on him. Everything has a liberal spin. Throwing in the odd editorial from Krauthammer or Will does not qualify as “fair.”

[Freee-dame]

Hit jobs against Bush administration programs and Republicans in general have virtually vanished

The election is over. Their guy is in the White House with a huge majority in both Houses of congress. Let's see how they do during the next election cycle.

The WaPo just about single-handedly destroyed George Allen over his silly word macaca. I believe they'll do it again whenever they can.

[lilylangtree]

“Hit jobs against Bush administration programs and Republicans in general have virtually vanished. Instead, the paper presents issues fairly.”

ROTFLMAO! Look who the Washington Post helped get in power—their man obozo. Pubs are no longer in power. Obozo Admin are perpetual screwups and the hits just keep on coming. But the Post isn’t going to print the screwups. They’re too busy spreading propaganda to the masses about the everlasting (gag) beauty of m’obozo. I hope the freepers DO NOT fall for any of this BS. Washington Post has not, will not and never will play the fairness game.

[OneWingedShark]

>Ollie North used to say that he read the Holy Bible and the Washington Post everyday so he could understand the agenda of both sides.

LOL - That’s funny and thoughtful at the same time.

[Recon Dad]

MSNBC is but a small write off for GE, totally inconsequential. They don't care if they ever make a profit.

[Spok]

“the paper has been making an honest effort to be fair.”

Translation: making an effort to return to more subtle distortions and calulated omissions. The problem the MSM has now is that it has come out of the closet. It mistakenly concluded that the majority of the public were so enamored with the ‘Bama that no one would mind the overt lies and fabrications, the end justifying the means. They were wrong, now they’re struggling to attempt to create at least an illusion of fairness. Hopefully, it’s too late.

[Billthedrill]

Comparison to the NY Times is a little risky - Pinch is actively trying to run that one into the toilet and doing a darn fine job of it, too. When you run no fewer than seven color pictures of 0bama in heroic poses on your front page on a single day, you've departed journalism for hagiography that would make a North Korean reporter blush. Come to think of it, that North Korean paper might just have better sales than the Times...

[yazoo]

So, basically they are admitting they used to be biased.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Washington Post fair and balanced??? Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light tells me that Heck just froze over!

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[Sensei Ern]

Circulation isn’t good because of a perceived veering to the right. It is because they now offer Sudoku.

[GOPJ]

The election is over. Their guy is in the White House with a huge majority in both Houses of congress. Let's see how they do during the next election cycle.

If dems are going to win anyhow, they'll be fair. If it's "close" - not as fair. And if it looks like Republicans might win - they'll do a "Lucy" and pull the football...

Time will tell if this is truth or trap. A part of me - the part that loves having coffee and a newspaper for breakfast - hopes this is true...

[Lancey Howard]

If dems are going to win anyhow, they'll be fair.

Precisely! It's amazing how many of these Democrat newsrooms become "fair" once their side has won and is safely entrenched in office. Only then do they see the opportunity to pretend to be real "journalists". Next thing you know they'll say something maybe kind of critical a little bit of their Obama.. "See? We're objective."