And in the case of Judy Miller and the NYT, they became an appendage of the administration.

>That's very interesting. Back when Bush and Co. were touting going to war in Iraq, and talking about WMD's, the U.S. press pretty much to an outlet, were backing him. He had a very "If you ain't with us you're agin us" attitude. and the media went along for the ride. They were refusing to ask the hard questions or to even speculate on the possiblility that the WMD's didnt' exist. Now, of course, they are mostly off in the other direction. It's almost as if the media has gone from right wing to left in the intervening period.
>
>I wonder if the media really is right or left wing (not counting the fringe media), or if they are just 'riders of the prevailing wind'.
>
>
>>http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=6664
>>
>>
>>While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper's news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left.
>>
>>
>>More:
>>
>>"If viewers spent an equal amount of time watching Fox's 'Special Report' as ABC's 'World News' and NBC's 'Nightly News,' then they would receive a nearly perfectly balanced version of the news," said Milyo, an associate professor of economics and public affairs at the University of Missouri at Columbia.
>>
>>
>>I suspected that many media outlets would tilt to the left because surveys have shown that reporters tend to vote more Democrat than Republican," said Tim Groseclose, a UCLA political scientist and the study's lead author. "But I was surprised at just how pronounced the distinctions are."
>>
>>
>>>>Oh, and Australian media is more trustworthy than American media? Gimme a break, Walter.
>>>
>>>Last time I checked, the australian media was not owned by political parties. Yes, this is a topic that we discussed before. Yes, indeed everything that comes from american media, I'll check with others.
>>>
>>>>My reasons for posting the URL I did were simply to illustrate that for any opinion on the 'web, opposing ones can be found very easily. I have friends in Australia, and their first-hand information tells me the gun ban isn't working. And not necessary, if the Aussie police had enforced existing laws. I choose to believe them. The Australian media is about as liberal as the US is, and for my money is about as unbiased.
>>>
>>>Check the statistical facts.
>>>
>>>Walter,