Raleigh News & Observer bias watch

The liberal trending left Raleigh News & Observer tells readers there's no bias in its news columns. The people who control the news at The N&O claim the paper is "fair and accurate."

Well, if you regularly read The N&O, a McClatchy Co. paper, please consider the following questions. You needn't give exact answers; best estimates will do.

How often have you read in The N&O that Judge Samuel Alito is a "conservative." Compare that with how often you've read that Sens. Kennedy, Durbin, Schumer, Biden, and Leahy are "liberals?"

The N&O often told you Judge Alito, while a student at Princeton, joined a group Sen. Kennedy and others said was discriminatory in its treatment of women.

In the midst of his attacks on Alito for his college membership in that group, Kennedy was revealed to be a current member of an exclusive private club, The Owl, which bars women from membership. Kennedy joined The Owl more then 50 years ago. Do you recall The N&O telling you about Kennedy and The Owl?

How often did N&O news stories use terms such as "extremist," "threat to women," and "racist" in regard to Judge Alito, either as part of a quote or part of the news story's background text?

How often did The N&O mention alongside its "extremist," "threat to women," and "racist" reporting the fact that The American Bar Association rated Judge Alito Well Qualified to serve as a Supreme Court justice? Or that Well Qualified is the ABA's highest rating? Or that the award was made by a unanimous vote of the committee which reviewed Alito's credentials?

The N&O tells you it's “fair and accurate?”

Can you recall the last time you believed that? Or that it has no news bias agenda?

Thank you for considering the questions.