More like control of the press, I'd say.

It seems rather to me like what Tony Blair said about the media the other day, Dave. In fact, I was excited to see that, in one instance, he virtually quoted verbatim what I have said many, many times in the past years regarding "the confusion of news and commentary." I have maintained for some time now that today's "reporters" and the papers, Internet sites, and television stations they represent very CLEARLY have their own agendas. They are very recognizable to lots of us, especially former reporters who took our professions seriously.

Balanced, objective reporting that takes into account all sides of a story (where possible) seems to have fallen by the wayside these days. There might be no denying that some of the big-time papers have talented writers, but when their biases leak glaringly into their so-called news articles, it is a clear violation of what real reporting is all about and, as PM Blair accurately described, a situation that is "becoming worse."

You intimated in one of your ombudsman columns in S&S that newspapers today aren't really liberal. At least that's how I read it, and I immediately wondered who you were trying to bamboozle. Ever read The New York Times or its ugly stepchild The International Herald Tribune? I could name quite a few other newspapers, lots in fact, but you surely must know the deal whether you are willing to admit it or not. Just the selection and placement, as well as the font size, of some of your stories show me that. The piece on Fox News the other day was a prime example. That was hardly “news” that merited the type of coverage you gave it.

The problem is, we have liberal (and conservative I admit) elements in our country who honestly believe if they bombard the masses with enough of their propaganda, enough of them will believe it, and sadly, they are probably right. At the same time, it has been my personal experience that the liberal elements in particular fear and do whatever they can to harass, marginalize, demean, and above all silence those who disagree with them and see them for who they are.

And that's a real shame for all of us.