Bites from Edwin: Wall Street Journal, NYT, Bloomberg News

Mon. June 11, 2012:

Dear Readers, it is an honor to seek truths for those who want fair-mindedness.
In that spirit:
After several days of focusing more than ever on self-proclaimed conservative publications
-- The National Review and The Wall Street Journal -- one observation surfaces tentatively to the top of this blogger's brain.

Namely, this: The NYT makes at least a pretense of balance. On any given day, it runs several different pieces that make negative points against Democrats, liberals, and Obama. It also prints positive news about Republicans, conservatives, and Romney.

To be sure, there are moments of gratuituous liberal excess. For example, last week, its "Home Section" ran a piece about Romney's expensive home in La Jolla irking a few of his neighbors.

But even that piece noted that complaining neighbors were partisan Democrats, and the NYT piece made light of their complaints!
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/garden/mitt-romney-the-candidate-next-door.html?pagewanted=all
Still: "Morning Joe's host Joe Scarborough -- formerly a Republican Congressman -- was so annoyed by the NYT's "cheap-shot" La Jolla piece, that he defied anyone to find the NYT doing such a negative thing to any Democratic candidate, ever.

[Within moments, an assistant found an even worse NYT item on the front page in 2004, calling out Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry for his wind-surfing, his wealthy wife Teresa Heinz, and other wealthy trappings. Scarborough's anti-NYT rant tailed off. Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" later poked fun at this Scarborough moment.]

Parenthetically: "Morning Joe," hosted by a Republican, is on the decidedly liberal network MSNBC.

Fox News used to have "Hannity & Combs" -- Combs being a relatively liberal counterpoint voice. That did not work out, and it's now "The Hannity Show."

It is fair to say, NYT is more liberal than not. But its content suggests an awareness of what fair-mindedness is, and strives for it much of the time -- if not enough. With the Wall Street Journal, one is hard-pressed to reach a similar conclusion. It bears the tone of a Murdoch publication. The National Review's mission is avowedly partisan, and makes no secret of it. Liberals have plenty of similar mouthpieces. But so far, those on the right who assert that WSJ = NYT need to make a more persuasive case. One wishes it were true, but so far, I don't see it.

So, where can the fair-minded go, for reliably fair-minded balance in news & opinion?
Readers, if you know, please inform us.

Meanwhile, as promised, here are several interesting mostly liberal pieces from left-of-center
Bloomberg News:

1. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-07/obama-should-forget-about-dogs-and-focus-on-jobs.html