No Media Bias, Huh?

Washington Post Ombudsman Makes Striking Observation About Paper's Political Coverage
Monday, November 06, 2006
By Brit Hume

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Dems Cheerful, GOP Grim

Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell writes that her paper's coverage of Virginia Republican Senator George Allen has been "relentlessly negative" and without balance. Howell also says a profile of Maryland Democratic Senate candidate Ben Cardin was not critical enough — calling it "relentlessly positive"— while the paper underplayed a story about several prominent black Democrats endorsing Republican Michael Steele— who is an African-American.

And Howell agrees with some readers that photographs in the paper tend to show Democrats looking cheerful and confident — and Republicans looking grim.

Congressional Endorsements

The New York Times says for the first time in memory it is not endorsing a single Republican Congressional candidate in tomorrow's elections.

The Times has always sprinkled in endorsements of moderate Republicans based on their records. It has endorsed current candidates Christopher Shays and Nancy Johnson as far back as 1990 —- and also favored past Republicans such as Susan Molinari, Lowell Weicker and Rick Lazio.

But now The Times says House Republicans have "wrecked the budget, hobbled the middle class and endangered the long-term economy." It describes Republican Congressional leaders as "burned-out" and "brain-dead."

The Times says the election is about President Bush— and blames Congressional Republicans for "protecting him from the consequences of his mistakes and misdeeds."