milbank on bias

This essay by the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank echoes a lot of my own thinking:

I think the growing volume and the vitriol of the bias accusations are part of a new — and dangerous — development.

Partisans on the left and right have formed cottage industries devoted to discrediting what they dismissively call the “mainstream media” — the networks, daily newspapers and newsmagazines. Their goal: to steer readers and viewers toward ideologically driven outlets that will confirm their own views and protect them from disagreeable facts. In an increasingly fragmented media world, ideologues have already devolved into parallel universes, in which liberals and conservatives can select talk radio hosts, cable news pundits and blogs that share their prejudices. […]

This is not to say claims of bias are groundless. Reporters aren’t machines, and some prejudice inevitably finds its way into print or on the airwaves.

There’s a good discussion of the article in Kevin Drum’s comment section of this article. I liked this comment from New Zealand:

In essence those who push this line [attacking the media] are unable to accept the fact that other people disagree with them. There has to be some reason, other than reasoned thought, for this and the easiest thing is to blame “The Media” for controlling people’s minds.

UPDATE: Milbank discussed his column with readers here.