[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      ASSOCIATED PRESS SHOWS BIAS

  (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, the Associated Press is one of the 
largest and most influential news organizations in the world. It serves 
thousands of newspapers, radio stations and TV outlets. Americans 
expect the AP to be fair and unbiased in its reporting. Unfortunately, 
all too often it has fallen short.
  For example, a comparison of AP news stories following the 
announcement of each vice presidential running mate shows that while 
dozens of AP stories characterized Governor Sarah Palin as 
``conservative,'' only three described Senator Biden as ``liberal,'' 
even though the National Journal ranked him as the third most liberal 
Member of the U.S. Senate.
  This is one example of a much larger media slant problem. In 
interviews, articles and news analysis, the media have grilled one side 
and coddled the other. The American people want the media to apply the 
same rules to both political parties in this election.

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