E.J. Dionne

E.J. Dionne is a columnist for the Washington Post and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His books include Why Americans Hate Politics and They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political Era. In the following viewpoint he refutes the argument that the media are dominated by and are biased in favor of liberals. He contends that newspaper editors and television network executives are highly sensitive to conservative complaints about bias, and that conservatives now dominate such media outlets as cable television and talk radio. As a result, mass media in the United States has become biased in favor of conservative politics and politicians, he concludes. As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Dionne describe the conventional wisdom regarding media bias?
2. The media have...