LETTER: Are media truly liberal?

Editor,

I read with some interest the letter in Wednesday’s Opinion section asserting that Fox News provides an independent alternative to all of the liberal news outlets on television. This made me wonder about the widely quoted liberal media bias.

This assertion seems unlikely when you consider that an increasing percentage of print and broadcast news outlets are owned by an ever-shrinking number of media conglomerates. Most of these media corporations support conservative causes and sell advertising to companies who also tend to support conservative causes. Does this seem a likely breeding ground for rampant liberalism? 

Don’t take my word for it. Try a little test. Have you heard the following stories reported by the “liberal” media?

* The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 took the United States by surprise.

* George W. Bush carried Florida, even if the partial recount demanded by Al Gore had been completed.

* Vice President Dick Cheney has severed all ties with Halliburton.

* Saddam Hussein was trying to acquire nuclear materials in Africa and played a role in the terrorist attacks on the United States. 

Now, in classic Paul Harvey style, how many of you saw the rest of the story in the “liberal” media?

* Prior to the invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi officials asked a State Department official what the U.S. response would be and were told, “The U.S. has no interest in border disputes between Arab nations, including Kuwait.”

* When an independent group recounted all of the ballots in Florida, using the rules agreed to by the Republicans, Al Gore had won Florida.

* Dick Cheney still receives $100,000 a year from Halliburton, a major winner of Pentagon contracts.

* The report cited by Secretary of State Colin Powell was shown to be based on “poorly forged” intelligence reports – the president continued to cite the report. Despite administration efforts, there is no credible link between Iraq and Sept. 11.

If the major media outlets really are so liberal, shouldn’t these (and many other) stories that discredit the administration be getting as much air time as Monica Lewinsky? Liberal media, indeed.

Dan Stormont