A possible reason for press bias.

I like many have been confused and angered by the attitude of the press in this election, I saw it here in Australia in the lead up to our last federal election and have to go through the whole thing again in the US one. The press in Australia decided that Rudd could do no wrong, In the US it seems that Obama is in the same position.

Today I encountered a letter on the 'Just Say No Deal' site, which may have an element of sour grapes about it, its hard to tell from afar. If there is an element of truth in it however, it may go a long way to explaining some of what is happening. I doubt very strongly that it is the sole reason but it is worth publishing as something to think about: -

"Dear Just Say No Deal People:

I just found out about you through the WaPo article. My congrats. I like your attitude. For the record, I'm a straight, middle-aged white guy (who supports gay rights) who has twin teen-age daughters. I'm also a MSM journalist who left after more than 20 years to go freelance.

During this election cycle, my initial choice was John Edwards. After he dropped out, I was eager to see who would most closely adopt John's populist, anti-corporate positions. To my surprise, it was Hillary! As the primary dragged on, I found myself liking Hillary more and more, and Barack less and less. It had nothing to do with race and gender, and everything to do with actual issues.

As a former MSM guy, I'd like to share some insights you don't see on many blogs. Since the 1970s, the media have been rabid about affirmative action. So every newsroom in America -- print, broadcast, and web -- is heavily populated with people of color. On the surface, there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is, a lot of these newbie’s aren't professional journalists. They're professional blacks (or whatever), and they're extremely militant about promoting the interests of their race/ethnicity. They scare the shit out of their white colleagues, male and female.

I'm convinced that these white colleagues -- regardless of their own leanings -- are so eager to "get along" and "not offend" that they've been intimidated into supporting Obama. The result: monolithic media support for Obama. Between now and November, be assured that you will see nothing but wet kisses for Obama from the MSM. It's going to be "elect Obama or else" 24/7.

As you might guess, I have a personal axe to grind here. Despite a master's from the ultra-liberal Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism -- and scads of writing awards -- I simply could not advance in the MSM. They were more interested in promoting the likes of Jayson Blair, the 20-something black NYT reporter who ended up fabricating dozens of stories.

But who cares? Freelancing rocks, the MSM is doomed, and I enjoy the independent, PUMA thinkers.

As a guy who's voted Democrat since '72, I'm not willing to throw my support to McCain. At this point, however, I don't think a protest vote for Nader is a bad idea.

Sincerely,

- Rick, former MSM Journalist