One of the bloggers I read regularly is Ed Brayton, whose “Dispatches from the Culture Wars” takes on hypocrites of both the left and right. This analysis of charges of “media bias” is an example of his generally on-target commentary:
Let’s get something straight: there is no such thing as objective journalism. Every single journalist brings his or her own preconceptions to everything they do, including me. There is no point in pretending otherwise. Just own up to your biases and wear them on your sleeve for all to see and readers and viewers can take that into account. All that really matters is accuracy. If bias leads to inaccuracies in the reporting, then point out the inaccuracies. If it doesn’t, then accusations of bias are meaningless.
But the sheer chutzpah of conservatives, of all people, feigning outrage at politicians criticizing news outlets? You have to be joking. Bashing the media has been one of the most important strategic elements of conservative politics for decades. Media bashing is not merely a staple part of conservative thinking, it’s so deeply ingrained that it’s almost a reflex reaction for most right wingers.
And that’s the whole point of the strategy, to get their followers to instinctively react to any news that is inconvenient for them by dismissing it as another example of liberal media bias. It’s an inoculation against reality and it is very, very effective. Hearing conservatives whine about media bashing is like hearing Paris Hilton whine about Lindsey Lohan being shallow. The pot and the kettle might as well die in a mutual murder/suicide pact at that point.