Reader sees anti-GOP bias in the newspaper First published: Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The bias and at times hypocritical news reporting and editorials of the Times Union are shameful. Your constant attacks and misleading reporting on anything remotely Republican has become monotonous and boring.
No better example appeared in your two editorials of July 31. In one, you call for a special prosecutor in the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' dealings. In the other, you say there is no need to further investigate Gov. Eliot Spitzer's misuse of the State Police. Even though both these issues are prime examples of partisan politics. How do we spell "hypocrisy"?
Apparently your newspaper's prejudice is deeply rooted in history. I call your attention to the Aug. 13 installment of your weekly reprint of editorials from the past. The Times Union's Sept. 17, 1909, editorial concerning Halley's comet states "should Halley's comet destroy the world," it may be the "only means of purifying Republican politics."
Amazing. An editorial about a comet turned into an attack on the Republican Party. How do you spell "bias"?
Many of your commentary articles are liberal, anti-Republican and pro-Democratic.
Then of course there's the totally biased cartoons of John de Rosier. His attempts at "political satire" are just plain vicious at times. A true artist of venom.
Maybe a name change for the Times Union is in order. How about "The New York Times Northern Edition?"
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I don't think that any major media outlet should be politically bias. And I am surprised when I hear of a media outlet endorsing or even contributing to a politicians campaign. The Times Union has done that and I even think that Channel 6 donated to Stratton' personal fund. I don't think that is right for this country. I don't even like it when unions or special interest groups back politicians. If these media outlets and all of the special interest groups would stop endorsing candidates, than maybe the people would have to think for themselves and vote their own mind based on their concerns. Folks should not align themselves with any groups.
Every single media outlet is liberal. And that is a fact! Well, except FOX News. So we will just work around them. And I guess we are doing a great job....just look at who won the 105 State Assembly race!!!!
So let's keep on rollin'!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The TU probably figured if they didn't print it, the writer would have sent it in to another paper which would have only made the TU look really bad!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Reader challenges paper to examine its biases First published: Sunday, September 23, 2007
As one of your readers recently noted in pointing out a 1907 Times Union editorial bashing Republican policies, it is refreshing to find that in today's fast-paced environment, some things don't change.
I am a longtime reader of the Times Union and I think it is a fine publication for our region. However, there is no question regarding its leftist stance. I can't recall an editorial that took a conservative position on any topic, nor any cartoon from John de Rosier that did not bash Republicans or conservatives.
One of the most glaring illustrations of the Times Union's political leanings was in its reaction to last year's scandal involving former Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Here was a man who was elected and entrusted by the people of New York specifically to keep an eye on the state's purse strings. When it was discovered that Mr. Hevesi, a Democrat, had grossly abused his office for personal gain (to which he later admitted), the Times Union's response was to endorse him for re-election. I can only imagine what the paper's response would have been had Mr. Hevesi been a Republican.
More recently, when it was learned that key members of Gov. Spitzer's staff had abused State Police resources to engage in a campaign against Sen. Bruno, the Times Union's reaction has essentially been that Sen. Bruno should just get over it and get back to work. Again, one wonders how your editorials would have run if these leaders' party affiliations were reversed.
I would like to challenge the Times Union to take inventory of itself, to look back over the past 15 years of its political endorsements for major local and national elections. These would include U.S. presidential, New York gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, congressional and the mayoral races in the cities of Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga Springs. If your endorsements do not run at least 3-to-1 in favor of candidates representing Democratic or liberal parties, I will contribute $500 to a local charity of your choice.
Again, the Times Union is a fine paper for our region. It would be even better if it projected a truly unbiased viewpoint.
I doubt that this will change the mind thought of the Times Union! It is liberal to it's core.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Letter was wrong to call Times Union leftist First published: Thursday, October 4, 2007
I always find it laughable when a mainstream newspaper prints a letter accusing it of being "leftist," as the Times Union did Sept. 23. Michael Carroll's evidence for this common canard is his perception that this paper treats Republicans differently from Democrats, including its tendency, gasp, to support Democrats in its political endorsements.
Well, Mr. Carroll, I am a lifelong leftist, and I know (and read) other lifelong leftists, and the Times Union is clearly not leftist.
None of the Democrats it has endorsed is a leftist (in fact, they are often also endorsed by the Conservative Party); none of the op-ed writers it features is leftist (with the possible exception of the late, great Molly Ivins); and nothing in its choice and presentation of news and other features would lead any politically informed person to consider it leftist.
Granted, occasionally one can hear a faint liberal peep here and there, but that hardly constitutes a leftist position, let alone even a progressive one.
Indeed, as studies by such groups as Project Censored, and Fairness and Accuracy in Medi) consistently and convincingly show, the flow of news and information, as well as the range of political discourse allowed, is tightly controlled in this country by corporate interests and their political elite; the Hearst Corp.-owned Times Union is simply following that center-right script.
Even Hillary Clinton, widely and wildly reviled and demonized by the right wing, works from the same play book; why else would she get the endorsement of the CEO of Morgan Stanley, a longtime Bush supporter?
Thus, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Carroll's belief that the Times Union "would be even better if it projected a truly unbiased viewpoint," but that would have to be one that covered the whole political spectrum, including actual leftist opinions.
It is common knowlege that the Times Union is partisan. Right along with the gazette and other media outlets. However, it really doesn't bother me, as it clearly does not sway my political views one way or the other. Cause ya can't believe it as the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
And the Times Union was the only paper to "openly" support Ed Kosiur for State Assembly. While the gazette leans toward the Democrats, at least they didn't come right out and try to sell Kosiur to all the people.
I think its unfortunate. I read the newspaper because I want more than just the "tickles" I get from the television news. Also the radio news. Certainly an editor should be able to write about who they believe will be a good candidate and why. The problem is, is that they don't sign their own names to the editorial so therefore they are speaking for the newspaper.
In the news business, we still like exclusives and scoops. But there's a difference between giving you news you can't find elsewhere and simply being first with a story every other news outlet will soon get. Sometimes we get our knickers in a twist about a scoop, when it's the exclusive that's more important.
Take, for example, our exclusive on Wednesday's front page about the failure of scanning machines that the state has been counting on to detect counterfeit documents submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles. That was pretty big.
We can't tell you exactly how Capitol bureau reporter Jim Odato nailed that story, because it would reveal confidential sources. But the information that the scanners can't recognize a bogus license from a real one was important, coming amid a fierce debate over Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses. Spitzer had promised the new technology would combat fraud. It can't -- at least, not yet.
On the record, nobody would confirm Odato's reporting. But nobody was denying it, either, and Spitzer's people abruptly scuttled a news conference set for Wednesday where the new scanners were to be demonstrated.
FACTS:Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno immediately announced hearings on the scanner problems, citing the Times Union story in a press release. Well, actually, Bruno's statement only credited "news reports," rather than naming the newspaper, presumably because the senator remains annoyed at our stories about his use of state aircraft. Maybe his staff just didn't tell him which newspaper had uncovered the information that surely was damaging to his political rival. It's interesting, by the way, that this newspaper's editorial page has endorsed Spitzer's driver's license initiative, agreeing with homeland security experts that it will enhance America's ability to track people living here illegally. Recall this the next time you wonder about the wall that separates our news coverage from the opinion pages.
That exclusive story hasn't yet been matched -- that's the term used in newsrooms when another journalist independently confirms the reporting found elsewhere. If you heard the story broadcast or saw it printed elsewhere without any attribution to the Times Union, I'd say the proper word is to say that story was "swiped." It's a technical term.
FACTS:Contrast that fine exclusive, though, with something we tried to do Thursday evening, when we briefly thought we could have a scoop. In early afternoon, Hearst Newspapers Washington Bureau Chief Chuck Lewis called to say his reporters had learned U.S. Rep. Mike McNulty would announce his retirement on Monday. But the information had come off the record -- meaning it couldn't be used. Our reporters set out to nail down a publishable story, seeking either on-the-record sources or, less preferably, people who would speak on condition they not be identified.
Then we began to imagine a scoop. If we posted the story on timesunion.com -- as we usually do now with breaking news -- we figured other local news outlets would pick it up. If we waited until 7 p.m. to post it, though, the local TV newscasts would be done, and many people might read about it first when they picked up the Times Union Friday morning. But we were trying too hard to be clever. At 4:39 p.m., a blog written by Liz Benjamin of the New York Daily News (formerly a political writer here) posted the McNulty story. We followed, posting the story on our Capitol Confidential blog at 5:18 p.m. Both of the other local daily papers that circulate in McNulty's district had the story Friday morning, as well.
We were scooped online and matched in print. From the week's work, we were reminded of a principle we intend to follow: We should post scoops on timesunion.com, where you can find them as news happens, and offer ground-breaking exclusives in print. Both have value, but smart journalists nowadays need to understand how each should be handled.
Logged
