“Can you tell me,” began the e-mail May 27 from a Cedar Rapids reader, “why there are so many liberal-leaning editorials, plus syndicated columnists of the same ilk?
“I do not wish to read of Molly Ivins’ hatred of the president every week. . . . Every day there is a letter from someone in the area ‘bashing’ the president. I think you could be a little more fair, and publish some ‘pro’ Bush letters.”
The reader is not alone in her sentiments. But sometimes the sentiments are the opposite.
Take the March 23 letter to the editor from John Stratton of Cedar Rapids: “Please tell me that some of these letters (criticizing Bush) are a joke. To think that some letters compare President Bush to Hitler and call Bush the most dangerous man on earth is just simply amusing.”
Or the letter Feb. 15 from Mark Bailey of Cedar Rapids contrasting columns by Molly Ivins and Cal Thomas: “Ivins has done some digging. . . . Thomas, by contrast, could have dashed off his piece between courses at the local barbecue.”
Is The Gazette biased?
The question is provocative though not very meaningful. What constitutes bias? Does it refer to politics, as in liberal or conservative? If so, what do these labels mean? Does it mean selecting — slanting? distorting? changing? — content to prop up an argument or accommodate pre-existing views? Does it encompass the entire newspaper, news as well as opinion pages?
In general, most media share a conservative bias, and by bias I mean a predisposition that impedes impartial judgment.
Media are, after all, commercial enterprises. They favor economic development and generally support the community power structure, of which they are a part.
But at a micro level and on specific issues, the media often espouse what some regard as liberal views. They support socially agreed-upon goals, such as justice and equality. It gets confusing because biases are not consistent and often conflicting.
Unable ever to eliminate bias completely, news pages strive to minimize it.
On the other hand, editorial pages, aided by columnists, cartoonists and contributors, try to maximize bias, or, if you prefer, diverse views. While stating the newspaper’s views in editorials, conscientious editors make every effort to solicit and publish other views.
While many people talk or write about conservatives and liberals, seldom do they define the labels.
The dictionary defines liberalism as “belief in progress” and favoring “protection of political and civil liberties.” That sounds fine.
For conservatism, the dictionary says preserving “what is established” and “preferring gradual development to abrupt change.” That sounds fine, too.
My conclusion? Views expressed by so-called liberals or conservatives matter little. What matters most is what I think about what’s said — not who says it.
A newspaper serving a large community must provide a forum for all views. The Gazette does this fairly well. For example, I’ve checked a number of times with editors about publication of letters. Except when the volume on a topic runs so high that space doesn’t permit publication of all letters (such as with RiverRun), the newspaper publishes all letters that meet its criteria, which appear regularly on the opinion pages.
I shared the reader’s e-mail and my views with Gazette Editorial Page Editor Doug Neumann.
About letters, he noted that viewpoints reflect the views of writers and not those of the newspaper. Good point. I would add that while letters enjoy high readership, they are not an accurate measure of public opinion.
About editorial-page policy, Neumann wrote, “We define ourselves as a moderately conservative newspaper. While the views expressed in the Gazette’s daily editorial may occasionally be of a liberal bent, our overall philosophy is conservative, and we believe that is reflected in our overall opinions.”
Regardless of where we place ourselves on the ideological or political spectrum, we owe others the right to express their opinions — and should feel free to express our own.
SIDEBAR: Book-length biases
The issue of conservative/liberal media is complex and much discussed these days. At many bookstores, often on the same shelf, are books representing both sides: Bernard Goldberg’s best-selling “Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News” and a recent entry by Eric Alterman, “What Liberal Media? The Truth about Bias and the News.”
