Washington Post Admits Pro-Obama Bias

Deborah Howell — the Washington Post’s ombudsman — admits the paper favored Barack Obama during the election:

The Post provided a lot of good campaign coverage, but readers have been consistently critical of the lack of probing issues coverage and what they saw as a tilt toward Democrat Barack Obama. My surveys, which ended on Election Day, show that they are right on both counts….

The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces (58) about McCain than there were about Obama (32), and Obama got the editorial board’s endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain….

Counting from June 4, Obama was in 311 Post photos and McCain in 282. Obama led in most categories. Obama led 133 to 121 in pictures more than three columns wide, 178 to 161 in smaller pictures, and 164 to 133 in color photos. In black and white photos, the nominees were about even, with McCain at 149 and Obama at 147. On Page 1, they were even at 26 each. Post photo and news editors were surprised by my first count on Aug. 3, which showed a much wider disparity, and made a more conscious effort at balance afterward….

But Obama deserved tougher scrutiny than he got, especially of his undergraduate years, his start in Chicago and his relationship with Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who was convicted this year of influence-peddling in Chicago. The Post did nothing on Obama’s acknowledged drug use as a teenager….

So the Washington Post overwhelmingly favored Barack Obama during the election. So what? As usual, the Post is a day late and a dollar short — not a great quality for a newspaper. The election is over and the country is stuck with the least-vetted President of the modern era. Thanks in part to the media’s negligence, America is now hoping that Obama’s substance can match his style. That’s a big gamble in a dangerous world.

The Daily Brief — Monday, August 11, 2008

In today’s Daily Brief… Al Franken draws a crowd… of one! And the mainstream media finally covers the Edwards’ affair–better late than never.

THE GOOD…

Why Are We Whispering?
Washington Post · Andrew Klavan
At a recent writers conference in Southern California, one of my colleagues on a screenwriters panel told the crowd of about 50 people that she hoped Barack Obama would win the presidency. A number of people applauded. When it was my turn to speak, I politely said that I disagreed with her politics and moved on to other topics. There was no applause for me, but several writers approached me afterward. Each dropped his voice to a whisper and, looking around to make sure no one would overhear, said, “Thank you for saying that.” Which raises a question for all conservatives in the arts: Why are we whispering?… more»

Read more