Those of us who have suspected that the media coverage of the 2008 Presidential Race has not been fair now have a study to validate our suspicions.



The Center for Media and Public Affairs spent the past two months monitoring comments by sources, voters, reporters and anchors that aired on evening newscasts at America's three main national networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) and documented what many of us already knew.

Comments made about Barack Obama reflected positively about Obama in 65% of the cases whereas comments made about John McCain reflected positively about McCain in 31% of the cases. Said another way, Obama received 35% negative coverage and McCain 69% negative coverage.

The spin at all three major networks would say that they each are professional and impartial at all times in news coverage.

The first half of Fox News Channel's "Special Report" with Brit Hume showed more balance than any of the network broadcasters, although it was dominated by negative evaluations of both campaigns.

The Center for Media and Public Affairs did not evaluate programs on CNN or MSNBC. Your guess as to why CNN and MSNBC were not evaluated is as good as mine. My guess is that had the Center done so, the results would have been skewed even more favorably toward Obama.

All of this seems to suggest that the broadcasters on ABC, CBS and NBC would never allow fairness to get in the way of promoting their favorite candidate.

While viewers cannot prevent this sort of uninformed, unfair, unprofessional and immature pandering, they can discern the difference and, if they cannot, they deserve what they receive by accepting the influence.

Clear thinking individuals with maturity and discernment need not be bothered by mediocre minds and mental midgets who are irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. Mark Twain, the great American author and humorist, said "I never let schooling interfere with my education."

The lack of clear, concise, factual information by broadcasters has been replaced by personal journalism on the evening newscasts at major networks.

All of this pandering is done in a fit of righteousness. No self-respecting liberal would ever be caught making an unfair, unprofessional comment on a national stage. That is why they are liberals.

Liberals are rarely wrong and, when they are, there are usually extenuating circumstances that could not have been prevented. This is one of the primary reasons why we would want them running the country. They may not always be effective, but they will most certainly always be right.