Ladies and gentleman, the following is written by Alex Monical. It in no way reflects the opinion of I, Arlo Bryan Guthrie. It is presented as part of the Arlo/Alex Read-Off that commences this Saturday.

I strongly believe a leftist slant exists in the mainstream media.



By mainstream media I mean NBC, CBS, ABC, and most, if not all, of the major newspapers in the country. I know that there are certain conservative news outlets like the Fox News Channel. However, that is but one cable news network in a vast sea of leftist leaning news sources.



I'm not interested in listing every little petty example of when Brokaw or Jennings or Rather might have been more objectionable to a conservative viewpoint than to a liberal viewpoint. That type of thing doesn't interest anyone and it won't change anyone's mind.



The one and only instance I will site before reading Arlo's book is the case of Bernard Goldberg. Mr. Goldberg was an Emmy award winning CBS journalist and producer of 48 Hours when he was fired by CBS over an editorial piece he wrote about how he thought mainstream media had become too biased.



Goldberg wasn't pointing a conspiratorial finger at CBS or Dan Rather; he simply voiced his opinion in a small editorial column of, I believe the New York Times and for this, he was let go after something like TWENTY YEARS with the network.



I'd like to add that Mr. Goldberg is card carrying Democrat; this isn't like when Rush spends a segment on his show talking about the liberal tilt in the press.



Goldberg's obvious argument is that if there is no lean to the left in the news, why would a small editorial piece on the subject cause such a stir? Goldberg was a highly acclaimed and respected member of the broadcast community and a prominent figure of CBS journalism. After his piece came out he was outcast, losing most of his friends at the network, including Dan
Rather. As Goldberg's downward spiral continued within the walls of CBS News, a fellow correspondent, one which Goldberg didn't name, came to him suggesting that in order to keep his job he would need to apologize for his 'treason.' The unnamed person privately concurred that there was a liberal bias but if Goldberg went public with the conversation, the admission would be denied.



I believe the book Arlo is having me read addresses the issue of Bernard Goldberg and the circumstances with which he was let go. I'm interested to read the author's viewpoint on what, to me, is obvious favoritism.

Very soon, I will be redesigning this page to reflect the Read Off. Actually, I'm looking for a zippier name for the Read Off, and I'm open to suggestions. Please keep in mind that, as David Letterman always about Stupid Pet Tricks, "This is merely an exhibition. It is not a competition. Please, no wagering." And that means you, Bill Bennett.