Coverage of the pending war with Iraq is a live example of media bias By Dave Duffy
February 24, 2003

Is the American news media biased in favor of liberals and liberal causes, as many conservatives believe? Well, now is your chance to find out, firsthand, because it has become a liberal cause to stop America’s march to war against Iraq.

Just turn on your TV and channel-surf the major all-news networks and listen to what they are reporting about our pending war with Iraq. In fact, do it scientifically by taking a pad of paper and jotting down how many minutes each station devotes to showing President Bush and his policies toward Iraq in a negative light compared to how many minutes show him in a favorable light. Overwhelmingly he is shown in a negative light, and the biased reporting has increased dramatically during the past week. It’s as if there is an organized effort to use the media to stop the war.

Annie Tuttle, wife of Marine Corps Pfc Erik Tuttle, who is in Kuwait, holds a sign during a spontaneous pro-America rally to counter peace activists demonstrating in 29 Palms, California. She said the overwhelming majority of people driving by honked for the counter rally, not for the peace activists.

For several weeks I’ve been monitoring the major all-news stations–CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox, CNNFN, CNBC, CNBCW, and MSNBC–and all but Fox is growing increasingly anti-Bush, anti-American, anti-war. Only Fox airs significant minutes that shows Bush and the war in a favorable light, and only Fox has anything resembling a balanced approach.

Don’t trust my saying this is true. See it for yourself. Just turn on the TV and channel-surf for a few hours. It’s astonishing. Even I didn’t quite realize just how unrelenting the pro-liberal media is, especially CNN and their affiliate stations. Feature after feature, guest after guest point out how Bush is in a rush to war, is alienating our allies like France and Germany, is not taking into account the staggering cost of such a war, does not seem to care about the humanitarian catastrophe it will cause for Iraq and the region. Interviewee after interviewee points out how America is going against public opinion, how Bush’s poll ratings are getting lower (no doubt as a result of this type of reporting), and how most countries in the UN want the inspections to continue.

This is the liberal news media at its most powerful–and at its most destructive to America. Except for FOX, they are giving aid and comfort to an enemy that is bent on America’s destruction. Every anti-war, anti-American protest from around the world is shown with lengthy footage, with interviews with people claiming they like America but just can’t stand this Bush war monger guy.

Marine Corps wives and supporters rally for the troops in 29 Palms, California.

My daughter the other day took part in a spontaneous pro- American rally near the 29 Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, which trains 50,000 marines every year in the California Desert. It is the largest Marine Corps base in the country and has live-fire desert warfare training designed specifically for the Iraq mission. Her husband, Pfc Erik Tuttle, is now in Kuwait awaiting orders to risk his life to overthrow a tyrant and help safeguard America from his hatred and chemical and biological weapons.

The spontaneous rally took place to counter a planned peace activist protest a local radio station reported would take place in front of city hall.

“Daddy, there was no doubt about who the people driving by supported. They all honked for us,” she told me. She was one of several young Marine Corps wives who joined other citizens in the counter demonstration. The marines themselves were forbidden to take part, she told me. “They don’t need to see these anti-war protests,” she said. “Their morale is high, and they don’t need it attacked while they’re shipping out for Iraq.” Many in 29 Palms were furious that the peace activists would demonstrate in this very pro-America, pro-Marine Corps community.

But you probably won’t find this pro American rally on CNN, because it simply doesn’t fit their agenda well. The News media, except for FOX, also contains scarce reporting of polls that show most Americans reflect the views of these Marine Corps wives. Instead they show a poll that indicates war support is eroding. Even many democratic politicians are joining with CNN and bashing Bush and the war. Except, of course, for serious presidential contenders like Kerry and Lieberman, because they know they’ll destroy their presidential aspirations if they come out against the war.

I absolutely recommend you take part in this educational experiment with me and channel-surf for the next week to watch the biased liberal media at work. Everyone should. It would be a great “living education” for any of you homeschooling families out there. See the American media in action for yourself, because when the war is over, and America shows the world Hussein’s stash of chemical and biological agents, and the people of Iraq thank us for liberating them, the American media will deny they ever engaged in any unfair Bush bashing or anti-war reporting.