>Evan,
>
>>You've ignored my comments. Frontline people may be liberal, but the decision makers and organizations are not.
>
>Are you kidding? What kind of logic holds that big news organizations that are (in your imagination) run by conservatives would make sure that the reporting and editorializing is slanted in a liberal direction? No conservatives I know would do that.
>
>Is the New York Times more conservative than liberal in its reporting and editorializing? Washington Post? Los Angeles Times? Boston Globe? ABC? NBC? CBS? CNN? MSNBC? Of course not.

Well I think Evan is basically correct in his assertion.

The folks out front are just the mouthpieces (they READ the news), and the editors may be somewhat "liberal" in their thinking. But the big bosses have learned that you don't bite the hand that you're needing 'favours' from.
They always (well, for a long time) had worries about their advertisers vis-a-vis the stories reported, and more recently (basically since the 'demise' of communism) what they report and how deeply it is reported about their government(s).

Why do you think that "runaway brides" and missing children and shark attacks and such consume SO much of the news?... because they are politically neutral, that's why.
Why do you think that Lou Dobbs is allowed to rant about the loss of jobs to China and outsourcing generally... because the rest have them have labelled him a nutcase on the issue and say so from time to time. No one ELSE is critical of outsourcing like Dobbs is, and having him rant lets ALL media off the hook as far as real issues are concerned because they all inherit the "no one is being muzzled" by virtue of Dobbs ranting.
Why do you think that huge protests at meetings of the World Bank or the G8 go basically unreported as regards their COMPLAINTS?... because they are complaining about things that would hurt the media as much as any other corporation, that's why. When they do "report" on such protests it is either a small mention or they focus on hooliganism that accompanies the protests. They NEVER report what it is that the folks are protesting!!!!

Also in recent time you'll have noticed that many TV news programs or newspapers end up with "exclisive" interviews with writers of 'controversial' books. This happens because the book publisher is part of the same corporation as the TV network or newspaper. And these exclusive interviews also soak up time/space that real news could occupy.

Finally, the recent "cave" by Time Inc. as regards furnishing documents regarding the White House leak should be your final proof that the corporations CONTROL the news. The corporations are far far better off never having leaks to report on because they are no in the "news" business any more, but rather in the business of lobbying government and swaying public opinion TOWARDS THINGS THAT HELP THE CORPORATION.

I'm afraid that "news" is long gone in the U.S. and fading rapidly in Canada too.

cheers