When we were children, we believed in Santa Claus for two reasons: his name was repeated over and over again in the winter and he was something good — something that materially and psychologically benefited us. We got presents, felt all happy inside and, more than just believed, wanted to believe in him.

The so-called “liberal media” is a similar concept. Those who believe that our news media is run by elite liberal intellectuals using their power to corrupt America benefit from that belief; it makes them feel like the underdogs, it gives them a target for their attacks and, most importantly, it gives them a ready-made, pre-packaged excuse any time the media says something that they disagree with.

Think about it: what better way to support your own conservative views than to say that every critical opinion of said views is the product of a biased, leftist media? Ethics aside, it is a sound strategy. Also, like Santa Claus, the idea of a “liberal media” is pounded into our heads by politicians, media personalities and perhaps even our parents. For many, it is simply a fact of life, never deserving of any further examination. It is not unlike the idea of Santa Claus to a three year-old.

Cover anything that puts the government or corporations in a negative light and you’re suddenly a part of the irresponsible, untrustworthy “liberal” media.

But let us take a moment to imagine a world where a truly liberal (read: progressive) media actually exists, one where journalists are unafraid to ask the “tough” question, one where the media is an ever-vigilant watchdog and not a poodle humping the government’s leg.

Pre-selected reporters would not ask the President, “Why must we attack Iraq now?”

Fearless journalists would be demanding to know, “Why did we preemptively and unilaterally strike a nation that posed no eminent threat to us or our allies and that had no ties whatsoever to Sept. 11, 2001 or the war on terrorism? Why did the United States not support a popular Iraqi uprising at the end of the first Gulf War that would have overthrown Saddam?”

Journalists would be talking about the corporate bonanza going on in postwar Iraq. Most importantly, they might ask, “Why does Iraq need the United States to ‘give’ it democracy? Is this not the ‘white man’s burden’ that justified British imperialism during the 19th century?”

Dan Rather and Peter Jennings would not be giving the latest statistics on homelessness or poverty; they would be asking why poverty even exists in the richest country on earth. We would get a healthy dose of analysis with our facts.

If we had a truly liberal media, everyone would know about the history of U.S. terrorism in places like Chile, Iran, Nicaragua, Panama, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as the indirect effects of U.S. economic policy on the entire globe.

You get the idea. The media is not “liberal.” It is actually rather centrist, and the fact that people continue to believe that it is a leftist institution shows just how far this country has slid to the right.

It’s really not so much about a left bias or a right bias as it is about money. Media outlets depend on ratings, which in turn result in advertising dollars. There are, of course, other factors, but this idea is crucial. In the simplest of terms, the success of a media outlet is ultimately determined not by how well it informs the public but by how well it entertains them.

This is a problem. The media becomes biased toward corporate interests, which are all too often tied into government interests. There are other issues, but this simple idea deserves our attention. Media outlets are not reporting the facts in an objective, academic manner. They are looking out for their own interests, period.

This effectively entrenches the media in the same corporate power-structures which, in a perfect world, they would be exposing for the benefit of the common people.

In the end, a democratic society without an aggressive, inquiring, independent media is little more than a lobotomized mental patient: imprisoned, apathetic and ultimately crippled by its own spiritual, as well as intellectual, ignorance. Indeed, what is the point of even having a representative democracy if its citizens are incapable of making educated decisions? For a free nation to function, the media must be a revered institution not only capable, but willing, to go against the government line, against the status quo, against what could be potentially profitable, even against public opinion, in its fiery pursuit of the truth.

We have never had that in this country, and we certainly do not now. We have a horde of people who believe that the media is run by a liberal conspiracy, just like a child believes that that new bicycle came down the chimney, delivered by a fat man in a red suit.

The difference, however, is that after time, that child will stop believing in Santa Claus. The myth of the “liberal media” is going to be around for quite some time.

Kyle Myhre ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in English and is involved with Stop the War, the International Students Campaign, the Madison Observer and the International Socialist Organization.