An ABC News editorial on its website admits what conservatives have argued all along: that the press is liberal:

    Like every other institution, the Washington and political press corps operate with a good number of biases and predilections.

    They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared sense that liberal political positions on social issues like gun control, homosexuality, abortion, and religion are the default, while more conservative positions are "conservative positions."

    They include a belief that government is a mechanism to solve the nation's problems; that more taxes on corporations and the wealthy are good ways to cut the deficit and raise money for social spending and don't have a negative affect on economic growth; and that emotional examples of suffering (provided by unions or consumer groups) are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories.

    The press, by and large, does not accept President Bush's justifications for the Iraq war -- in any of its WMD, imminent threat, or evil-doer formulations. It does not understand how educated, sensible people could possibly be wary of multilateral institutions or friendly, sophisticated European allies.

    It does not accept the proposition that the Bush tax cuts helped the economy by stimulating summer spending.

    It remains fixated on the unemployment rate.

    It still has a hard time understanding how... President Bush's base remains extremely and loyally devoted to him -- and it looks for every opportunity to find cracks in that base.

    The worldview of the dominant media can be seen in every frame of video and every print word choice that is currently being produced about the presidential race.


While this is all obvious, it's a pleasant surprise to find it acknowledged so forthrightly by one of the major TV networks.