Hemmer In 2003: Some Media Orgs Tilt Right, But Our Duty Is To “Play It Straight”

By Brian 

Note: Before you e-mail me, accusing me of bias and insulting my intelligence, let’s be clear: Hemmer didn’t say FNC tilted right. I’m not suggesting that he did. I’m merely putting his comments about it on the record.

From the mediabistro archives: An interview with Bill Hemmer in 2003:

 Many people these days say that the media has been instrumental in building support for George W. Bush and the coming confrontation with Iraq, even though traditionally the media has been thought to have a bias to the left. Do you think that the media has shifted to the right, politically, since September 11th, and, if so, why?I think there are certain entities within the media that perhaps tilt that way, and there are definitely some that conceal it less well than others. However, it is our duty at CNN (and it should be for all journalists) to keep it down the middle and to play it straight. For us to come short of that is to really do a disservice to our viewers. That’s our foundation. And if we rock that foundation, we’ve done a lot of damage to ourselves.

The Daily News asked Hemmer about critics who say Fox has a conservative bent, and Hemmer said to look at his track record. “Based on my own history, my own record, I’m comfortable with what they do. I clearly have watched the product.”

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