It is received wisdom among conservatives that we don't get a fair shake in the mainstream media, or MSM. In this article the guys at Politico respond to the bias charge.
The article is an apparent response to complaints made by the authors' mothers; whether true or not, it is a cute way to frame the piece. Right up front they admit that maybe 80% of journalists vote Democrat. This, they say, is unimportant.
Their basic argument is that the McCain campaign has been poorly run. Their secondary argument is that the McCain of 2008 is less fun to cover than in 2000 because he is less press-available and maverick and more scripted and traditionally conservative. Their tertiary argument is that reporters fear being thought racist, and treat Obama with kid gloves.
I suspect all three allegations are true. I am less sure that they explain the observed difference in press coverage of the two candidates.
My guess is that you won't be converted to their viewpoint. Even if you are not, it is interesting to see how they explain it to themselves, or justify it, or whatever. And, the article is well written as is most stuff John Harris has a hand in.
