| Editorial
Is
Left Wing Media Bias Real?
 By
Rob Roper
Of course, Republicans are
immediately labeled paranoid and delusional for suggesting such a thing.
Even after CBS reporter Carl Cannon's recent admission "We
Took Sides, Straight and Simple" and Bernard Goldberg's book
"A Slobbering Love Affair" describing in minute detail the, well, slobbering
love relationship, tingly legs and all, the media has with Barack Obama,
it's still "all in our heads," right?
This past week, I sent a
letter (read full letter here)
to the Deerfield Valley News in regard to a political reporter on the staff,
Christian Avard, who has long been problematic. Mr. Avard is not an unbiased
journalist. He is an avowed activist with strong ties to the Democratic
Party and its appendages. He was the Vermont Democratic Party's official
blogger (pdf) at the Democratic National Convention last year, and
has been a frequent contributor (also known by the moniker "Brattlerouser")
to the partisan Green Mountain Daily (GMD) blog. GMD's statement
of purpose is clear: "Green Mountain Daily was started by progressive
activists in the Democratic Party, and maintains that focus. It is our
intention to promote both left-minded policies and candidates."
Lest there be any doubt about
Mr. Avard's political objectivity or his mission in "journalism", On July
13, 2006, Mr. Avard (writing under the moniker "Brattlerouser") made the
following statement in a blog
post, "But I'm really convinced that if the Dems don't build a Democratic
Party "movement" with a progressive media infrastructure at its core then
we stand to lose more elections down the road." (my emphasis)
In a December 22, 2008 blog,
Mr. Avard ("Brattlerouser") wrote, "...I can't stand Douglas and want him
defeated..."
Journalists and the news
outlets they work for serve an important purpose in a free society.
The public rely on the objectivity of reporting to provide us with a balanced
view of the facts. Their mission is so critical that the Society
of Professional Journalists (SPJ) maintains a code of ethics, to ensure
a free and fair press:
-
Avoid conflicts of interest,
real or perceived.
-
Remain free of associations
and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
-
Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
It would seem to any reasonable
person that Mr. Avard's real and articulated interests and his associations
in relation to his role as a political journalist are in direct conflict
with this code of ethics. Therefore, it is dumbfounding that the editor
of the Deerfield Valley News responded to my complaint, "We stand behind
Avard's writing in The Deerfield Valley News and consider it unbiased and
fair reporting."
Not as dumbfounding was Mr.
Avard's other Democrat Representative, John Moran who wrote in a letter
to the editor, "that Mr. Avard is unbiased and fair in his reporting..."
Hard to believe a liberal Democrat wouldn't find fault with a "Democratic
Party movement with a progressive media infrastructure at its core."
With this kind of unreliable
and tainted reporting at the reporter level, coupled with a the lax attitude
toward ethics at the editorial level, it's no wonder newspapers around
the country and in Vermont are failing.
Rob Roper is the current
Chairman of the Vermont Republican Party
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