The first half of Peter C. Glover's essay in TCS Daily covers much of the same ground made in the post below, but it's followed by some great observations on the press and its critics:

A Pew People and Press poll in 2003 revealed two key facts. Firstly, that 90 percent of mainstream US journalists voted Democratic and held predominantly liberal views. The spectrum of liberal views of mainstream media journalists in America thus in no way reflects the predominantly conservative views of the general public. But even more relevant is the admission by most journalists that ideological preference (bias) does influence their news reporting.

The tradition of British print journalism also owes much to a frank admission towards being Left or Right on the political spectrum. Yet such organs of the fourth estate have served the British people -- and the world -- well for centuries. Sadly, this clarity is today being subverted in the crush to be perceived as on the "centre-ground" of public opinion. The "centre-ground" is the most well-trodden trod sod of God's earth for today's politician -- and, it seems, journalist. And yet openly acknowledging ideology as a factor in news reporting and analysis does nothing to hurt ratings or detract from news consumers trust.

[Too bad the legacy media doesn't buy into the old slogan of the Syms menswear chain: "An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Customer"--Ed]

Which brings me full-circle to the relationship between the MSM and the Blogosphere. The Blogosphere is here to stay. Technology has already settled the argument. But for all the suspicion of the MSM, it is plainly the case that the Blogosphere is no threat to it. Rather, in the tension between the paid and unpaid journalist, the real winner is the news consumer -- oh yes, and truth. The MSM clearly needs the Blogosphere to challenge it to keep up its standards - and recover public trust. Conversely, the Blogosphere cannot function without the MSM and its resources.

What we need to see end is an end to the kind of attitude exhibited by a BBC Breakfast TV News report just two days after the Reuters exposé. It not only exonerated news agencies like Reuters as mere dupes of fraudsters like Hajj, it also went on to attack the upstart "culture of right wing American bloggers". That would be the same "culture" that has been so successful in preserving journalistic integrity in the mainstream - when the MSM failed to do so.

BBC and NYT editors may resent the freedoms of the Blogosphere. But the reality is where the PC-nature of MSM culture is demonstrably failing the news consumer, the Blogosphere is proving a highly effective truth watchdog against propaganda.

As Jacques Ellul warned, "The propagandist uses a keyboard and composes a symphony." It seems he's also learned to use Photoshop.

In the age of postmodernism, that's not at all surprising. But as with text-based fabrications, I wonder how many other Photoshoped lies have already flown under the radar.

Update: Allah's spot-on, as usual:

About two weeks after Rathergate broke in September 2004, the same rag that published this load ran a cover story about the political Rashomonization of America. Facts were no longer objectively true or false, it seemed, but true or false depending upon which ideology one subscribed to. Barbarians at the gates of reality, we were. And now here’s Poniewozik, reality-based gent that he is, hittiing that same note.

Media scandals driven by right-wing bloggers sure do bring out their protective side when it comes to the truth, isn’t it? And the more hard, objective, documentary evidence of malfeasance we have, the more adorably defensive they become. We’re never so “destructive” of “the truth,” it seems, as when we have the truth most clearly on our side.

One of the definitions of postmodernism is that no one worldview is the Truth--that everyone is entitled to his own reality. (Remember Governor's McGreevy's "My truth" resignation speech a couple of years ago?) As Allah notes, it's amazing how that sort of diversity gets tossed out the window at light speed, when the MSM's collective worldview is called into question.

Another Update: Should Reuters be investigated? Really interesting Pajamas podcast with Roger L. Simon interviewing Caroline Glick, Cliff May and Thomas Lifson.