[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MEDIA NOT GIVING BALANCED ACCOUNTING

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if Americans do not get the facts 
from the media objectively reported, they do not have a basis on which 
to make good decisions. For example, a few days ago The Washington Post 
ran a six-column page 2 story about the redistricting process that the 
Texas legislature completed earlier this month. The writer quoted eight 
Democratic Members of Congress but not one Republican official. This 
was obviously a one-sided report that did not give their readers a 
balanced accounting.
  A recent Gallup Poll showed that 45 percent of Americans believe the 
news media in this country are too liberal, while only 14 percent say 
the news media are too conservative. Ultimately, it is a matter of 
trust, whether the media trusts the American people with the 
unvarnished facts. They should. Let the people make up their own minds, 
not be told what to think.

                          ____________________