This list of journalists and their political contributions is kind of embarassing for those of us who argue that our profession is learning to distance ourselves from our political attachments.
I still believe that accusations of "liberal bias" are too simplistic, but it's going to hard to argue with those who see differently.
** I'm not a liberal, but you get the idea.
| 
Actually, Marc, I don't get the idea.
The fact that a majority of journalists questioned donated to Democratic politicians does not suggest liberal media bias in any substantive way. Absent any objective proof that these journalists' work is compromised by their political inclinations, the claim of bias remains what it has always been - an emotional argument that "liberals" in the media are out to destroy Republicans and conservatives. This argument tends to be "supported" by "evidence" which consists of negative press coverage of Republican politicians.
For example, conservatives reflexively and consistently dismiss coverage of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping (to pick just one of its lawbreaking practices) as evidence of "liberal bias" without ever explaining exactly what they mean by that. In today's political/media environment, merely exposing or opposing Bush's policies is enough to get you labeled a "liberal" or a "leftist." It has no meaning beyond that.
The fact that journalists have political attachments does not constitute by itself a legitimate indictment against them. Can you provide any proof that journalists who lean Democratic are not distancing themselves professionally from their political attachments?
Frankly, the list to which you link does not make it any harder or easier to win an argument with those who scream about liberal media bias. Those people are not open to persuasion. One of the pillars of their ideology is that the establishment media are biased against them and their political movement. There is no evidence capable of convincing them otherwise.
The list will ricochet through the right-wing echo chamber for a few days (or weeks, or months), and give conservative talk show hosts and bloggers something to crow about. But in the end, they will be no more certain of liberal media bias than they were before the list came out. They take it as they always have, and as they will continue to do, an article of faith.
Posted by UncommonSense | June 21, 2007 12:18 PM