What liberal media?

We all do stupid things, but we all don’t write about them in a column. I am one of the few who openly wrote about a stupid thing I did. And, it seems, everyone takes notice when you make a mistake, considering the dozens of letters I have received regarding this, and even Bill Press brought it up when I appeared on “Buchanan and Press” last week. I usually don’t talk or write about myself, but my conscience compels me to do so now.

In my column of April 26, I wrote, “As I was walking through Barnes and Noble earlier this week, I noticed a book by Nation columnist Eric Alterman, titled ‘What Liberal Media?’ I picked it up but quickly put it back down.”

In my outlook, I simply could not imagine any argument against a liberal media, as I wrote, “I’m sure Mr. Alterman is very sharp and intelligent, but I can’t imagine anything refuting media bias, considering that organizations like the Media Research Center and many authors like Bernard Goldberg have documented this as a fact.”

But, of course, Mr. Alterman deals with the books by Ann Coulter and Bernard Goldberg, and the message coming out of the Media Research Center.

“Closed-minded” – that was my view, as I put the book back on the shelf. I continued to stroll through the bookstore and thought about all the research I had done, all the consideration I had made and every article I had written on the subject. Increasingly, in my mind, a logical and fact-based book refuting the claim to a liberal media and describing the media as “conservative” didn’t seem possible.

Although I am not complaining, what makes this situation different is that I wrote about it and one liberal reader had a field-day rallying all his buddies into letting me know of my problems. After that, the stream of mail kicked into high-gear.

One nameless reader informed me that I’m a “mullet wearing hick” along with some insightful four-letter words. Another reader wrote, “You are obviously not interested in truth, only being the next Limbaugh. That’s sad.” One fan of mine commented, “Try reading the book before you comment. Nice to know you’re an idiot. Get a life you racist, homophobic, ignorant slug!”

David Lawson informed, “If you were in my English class, you would either receive a failing grade or else be required to rewrite your essay due to poor scholarship.

Ken Chambers, from Texas, opined, “If you want to be interesting and informative, you can’t just parrot the party line. You need to expand your horizons, Kyle, or you’ll be just another narrow-minded blowhard. And there’s an over-supply of those right now.”

I partly agree with Mr. Chambers. I have always viewed myself as an open-minded person – and I still do. Last week, out of responsibility and curiosity, I bought Eric Alterman’s book and read it. It’s a very interesting read and I learned more about a liberal’s viewpoint on the news media.

“What Liberal Media?” fills the voice for liberals in the raging debate of the biases of the American news media. However, this is not a review of Mr. Alterman’s book. This is an acknowledgement of having a closed mind on the media bias issue. Eventually, I did buy this book, I did read it, but my opinion of the bias of the news media hasn’t changed.

That’s the way I have always looked at politics: I approach both sides of the argument, conduct my own research, and arrive at my own conclusions. Sometimes I change my stances on issues, other times I don’t. From a very early age, I have always had a hard time accepting what people say as truth. The arena of politics is filled with rhetoric, backstabbing, spin and boldfaced lying. Therefore, I have always questioned politicians on both sides of the aisle and anywhere in between.

Furthermore, anyone who reads my writings will realize that I am anything but a parrot of the party line. Whether or not I will register as a Republican in four years is still up in the air – both parties are taking us down a road to growing, massive government. Accepting perception as reality because it’s expected that I do so has always been a problem for me, but hopefully it’s one I’ll continue to have on my back throughout my life.

There’s no telling what I’ll pick up at Barnes and Noble next.