Today, I have perused the Drudgereport, MichaelSavage.com, World Net Daily, New York Times, and Salon.com to examine the headlines. What I found is disturbing.
I regularly go to the Drudgereport, but lately his headlines have been somewhat bias. Maybe I am just reading all of them wrong. A look at the Drudgereport this morning will give you the following headlines.
Obama vows to 'change the world'...
Nears record for spending on ads...
Lines up cabinet...
Obama's transition team meets...
And the large one in big letters that has been up for almost a full day: "MCCAIN: OBAMA POLICIES SOCIALIST"
The only headline on Drudge that deals with McCain directly is Dallas paper endorses McCain; Miami picks Obama...
Of course, I expect (and that is why I enjoy, listen to, and read) bias from Michael Savage. His current headlines read...
"Trickle-up" poverty: The new economics of Barack Obama
Liberals looking forward to supermajority power
Obama jokes he's not Jesus, he's really Superman
Libya's leader says Obama is Muslim, credits Arab money helping him win
Now, if we head on over to World Net Daily, a bastion of conservative news on the internet, we read the following:
The Big Headline reads...Gadhafi: Obama a Muslim, studied in Islamic schools
College associate editor says 'Obama is my Jesus'
2nd lawsuit challenges Obama's citizenship
Did Ayers' wife kill policeman?
Michelle Obama organized event with Ayers, husband
McCain blasts Obama tax policies
National anthem scrapped from Obama rally
Obama lines up a cabinet of stars
President Barack? Just say NObama! - This one is an advertisement put out there like a headline.
Compare these headlines from liberal leaning news organizations like the New York Times and Salon.com
For the New York Times, I had to go to the Politics page to get anything substantial.
Obama Raised Record $150 Million in September
The Candidates Debate Tax Cuts and Welfare - This one is similar in tone to the Conservative headlines decrying socialism and is an unbiased report of the dialog between the two candidates rather than a report declaring the one to be socialist.
Obama Attacks McCain on Health Care and Medicare, in Some Ways Inaccurately
Nearing Record, Obama’s Ad Effort Swamps McCain
Slow Economy Aids Obama in Missouri
At Salon, the headlines read...
Banking on early votes for Barack
McCain's last stand
Which John McCain will show up to debate?
Behind the GOP's voter fraud hysteria
Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals
The low road to the White House with the subheadline: "As the gloves come off in the presidential race, John McCain seems ever more willing to dispense with past claims to personal honor."
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The problem with the whole situation is that biased people get their news from the biased source they trust. This creates a terrible situation. People reading only Salon are going to think that McCain and Palin are evil monsters. People reading WND, Michael Savage, and, possibly, Drudge, will think that Obama is evil. I cannot believe that the headlines at the New York Times are the most unbiased in my examination of the internet news.
Demonizing the other camp creates an atmosphere of distrust that will remain long after this political season is over. After the election we need to get along to bring about the changes that this nation needs, but the media creates an attitude that makes that nearly impossible. Neither one of these guys is the antichrist despite the biased news from each side proclaiming such in an attempt to win the undecideds and motivate their base. I remember that I wrote just a month or so ago that I would be happy with either candidate being my President. The news has done such a wicked job demonizing each candidate that I have lost excitement for either one. I will still vote, but I would have much rather voted being happy with either candidate rather than holding my nose as I vote.
In the end, the headlines tell us a lot more about the political view of the websites rather than give us a fair and unbiased report of the news, which is something we sorely need in these times.
