I’ve always been a staunch defender of what they call “the MSM.” Like Shii, I went to school for journalism and I’ve always been a news junkie. Of course — like everything else — you have to read the news with a critical eye and be aware of possible (probable) bias. But my experience with MSM “criticism” is that it tends to originate from the absolute lowest patch of dirt encircling the ivory tower that is the media, and that is — wait for it — angry, anonymous posters on conservative blogs.

These are often people who have willfully removed themselves from the “mainstream,” inasmuch as they’ve removed themselves from all logic and reason. The MSM doesn’t conform to their ultraconservative views of the world, so they worship Rush Limbaugh, home-school their kids, reference Conservapedia and put the Bible above the Constitution.

Of course, I’m stereotyping here. I’m not really trying to fuel a long and boring ideological war. But I’ll tell you this much: I agree with conservatives that the mainstream media has a liberal bias. My response to that is because it is necessarily so. The implication is, if you’ve devoted yourself to truth, objective reality and a deeper understanding of today’s issues, you won’t be able to help but adopt a more liberal viewpoint.

I’m not saying there are no smart, educated conservatives (hell, I’m considered conservative on a number of issues), but the stats indicate they’re the exception to the rule.

Personally, I’m happy to see how Obama’s popularity has dragged even the right-wing media outlets (and blogs) closer to the middle. And ironically, as the MSM starts to crumble due to economic difficulties, the criticism will start to dry up as people realize they miss fact-checking, proper grammar and actual reportage.