Blatant Media Bias (For Willard)

The Republicans, especially those on the ultra-right, have repeatedly said the media has a liberal bias. They say this in spite of the fact that much of the media is clearly biased toward the right -- like Fox News, right-wing radio, and the cable news outlets that let the Republicans get away with telling blatant lies (like CNN). Now it looks like what used to be one of the most respected newspapers in the country has joined the right-wing propaganda machine -- the Wall Street Journal.

It turns out that at least 10 of the writers appearing regularly on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal (writing opinion pieces from a supposed non-biased point of view), are actually campaign advisors for Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie) -- and the Wall Street Journal didn't disclose that fact to its readers. Those writers are:

 John Bolton; Max Boot; Lee Casey; Paula Dobriansky; Mary Ann Glendon; Glenn Hubbard; Paul Peterson; David Rivkin Jr; Martin West; and Michael Mukasey.

Of course, this is basic dishonesty. The failure to disclose these writers as Romney advisors gives the illusion that a supposedly non-biased news organization has concluded that Romney is the better candidate. These people have the right to write editorials expressing their opinion and their support for Willard, but it should have been disclosed that they are working with Willard's campaign. Hiding that fact makes the Wall Street Journal look biased.

And that may well be the case. That newspaper is now owned by Rupert Murdoch, and it looks like he is trying to turn it into a print version of his Fox News network. Here is what the editors at some other newspapers are saying about this failure to disclose by the Wall Street Journal:

“Max Frankel, a former New York Times executive editor, called the lack of disclosure “shameless.” He added: “They ought to put a banner saying Romney has approved of this page… It looks like the Wall Street Journal editorial and op ed pages have enlisted in the campaign. They should be disclosing that.”

“Not disclosing is inexcusable,” declared Stephen Henderson, editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press.

“It is important to disclose that so that the reader can evaluate the argument intelligently,” said Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times editorial page editor, adding that transparency is “absolutely essential.”

“John Diaz, editorial page editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, said the prominence of the writers should have raised a red flag that they could be Romney advisers.

“Harold Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer, said: “I don’t know why it would be harmful for them to disclose those kinds of connections. I think readers would expect it.”