The big media don't always display their biases in visible ways. Sometimes they reveal them by what they don't do. This past Sunday offered two glaring examples of media bias by omission.
The first was on ABC's "This Week" show. Martha Raddatz had a six-minute interview with New Jersey Democratic senator Bob Menendez, but declined to ask him the question nearly everyone wants an answer to: Has he been cavorting with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republican as alleged by the Daily Caller website? The story is not just about the prostitutes. It also involves a major campaign contributor who allegedly provided private plane transportation for the senator's apparently regular visits to the Dominican Republic. You know if this had been a Republican it would have been the first and perhaps the only subject raised.
The other bias occurred on CBS' "60 Minutes." In a joint appearance by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Steve Kroft asked an Oprah-style question -- "Do you blame yourself" for Benghazi? -- and that was it. No follow-up, nothing substantive. The "60 Minutes" appearance was a display of mutual admiration and nothing more. But you already knew of their bias, right?
I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.
Publication date: January 29, 2013
