Evan,

>How are you measuring how liberal or conservative the media is?

I read. I think. I assess.

Listen, I grew up in the newspaper publishing business and learned from my editor father how to present the news in a factual, balanced way, without trying to slant the news toward any particular political direction. I know balanced reporting when I see it and I know biased reporting when I see it.

>Interesting observation. Can you support that?

Yes. I support it with my opinion that you are wrong. :-)

Seriously, I don't have any desire or time to debate you on this and I don't have time to do your research for you. I know that the major media in this country is slanted toward a liberal point of view in the way it reports and editorializes. It's plain as day if you have any objectivity at all.

Balanced reporting would take a news story and present the facts, "good" and "bad" without trying to sensationalize it or use the facts to score negative points against someone.

A very good example is how the NYT treated the Bush proposals related to Social Security. The President presented his ideas in great detail, laying out the many positive aspects of private accounts, and so forth, and showing how a typical family would fare over time.

Fair and balanced reporting would have reported the facts of what the President presented, with comments and reaction from people on both sides of the issue, perhaps using a headline like: "President Lays Out Plans for Social Security."

What do you think the NYT did with the headline and the focus of their article the next day? "President's Plan Would Cut Future Benefits" or something very close to that -- don't remember the exact headline, but that's very close.

Most of the reporting from Iraq in the major media is focused on the latest bad news, while almost completely ignoring the hundreds of positive stories that could be told about progress being made there.

There are endless examples I could dig out if I had the time or inclination to do that for you, but somehow I think it wouldn't make a bit of difference. :-)