Where is the center?

1. It's not possible for everyone who says they are moderate to actually be moderate, if the term is to have any meaning.




1. It's possible the term doesn't have any meaning.




2. In order to discuss contemporary American politics, we must consider the American media, the unofficial fourth branch of government.




1. In fact we must consider them first, since most of what we know of the government's activities, we get from the media.




3. Like the other three branches, the media and its representatives often invoke Constitutional protections to commit acts that would be illegal if you or I did them.




1. This is not the intent of the first amendment.


2. Freedom of speech is not the same thing as freedom to break the law in order to gather content.




4. The mass media -- newspapers, television, radio, all of it -- are headquartered in New York City.




1. If the newspaper business is somewhat less centralized than the others, this is compensated by the fact that many newspapers -- and much of television news -- take their lead from the New York Times.


2. CNN thinks the Times is too conservative.


3. NPR thinks CNN is too conservative.


4. Everybody thinks Fox News is too conservative.




5. New York City is demonstrably the densest, largest, most liberal population center in the country.




1. Check the notorious red and blue USA Today voting map if you doubt this.




6. Because they are surrounded and permeated by this liberal culture, they are no longer able to judge where the middle of the road actually is.




1. This is borne out by a 1996 Freedom Forum / Roper center poll, in which 76% of Washington reporters and bureau chiefs described themselves as "moderate", but 89% of them voted for Clinton.




7. News coverage mirrors the sensibilities of those who choose what to cover and how.




1. They think they're being fair.


2. They think the "middle of the road" is about three lanes to the left of where the rest of us think it is.


3. This is no secret to most of the country.


4. I've been saying this for years, but Bernard Goldberg (late of CBS News and author of Bias) is saying it with authority and inside knowledge.


5. The media power centers of New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. (and, though it is a shadow of its former stature, Chicago) remain blissfully, determinedly, provincially unaware.




8. The truth shall make you free.