The media’s president

The media’s pro-Obama bias continued after he took office.  For example, the nonpartisan Center for Media and Public Affairs found that 58 percent of all network news evaluations of President Obama early in his term were favorable; only 33 percent of early assessments of President Bush were favorable.

The conclusion is clear.  The national media helped get President Obama elected and then gave him close to a free pass once he took office.  And polls show that Americans recognize that the media will try to impact this November’s election as well.

More than seven in 10 Americans say that news sources are biased, according to the Pew Research Center.

Just eight percent of Americans trust the media, according to a Zogby public opinion poll.

And a Rasmussen public opinion poll found that by a margin of more than three-to-one, Americans say the average reporter is more liberal than they are, rather than more conservative.  And by almost the same margin, Americans think reporters are trying to help President Obama pass his agenda.

If the 2008 election is any indication, the national media will continue to try to elect liberal candidates in the 2010 election.  Americans should ignore the media’s spin and the media should give voters the facts, not tell them what to think.

Lamar Smith (R-TX) is chairman of the congressional Media Fairness Caucus.