Bias schmias

I'm sure Rush Limbaugh will be talking about this one before his radio program is through today. The Pew Research Center, a media watchdog, revealed a new study showing national journalists are (surprise!) nearly five-times as likely to identify themselves as liberals than as conservatives. Here are the Pew Study's important numbers:

Journalists at national outlets (2004)
Moderate - 54%
Liberal - 34%
Conservative - 7%

Journalists at national outlets (1995)
Liberal - 22%
Conservative - 5%

General public (2004)
Moderate - 41%
Liberal - 20%
Conservative - 33%

Belief in God neccesary to be moral (2004)
National media - 6%
Local media - 18%
General public - 54%

Homosexuality should be accepted by society (2004)
National media - 88%
Local media - 74%
General public - 51%

Homosexuality should be discouraged by society (2004)
National media - 5%
Local media - 14%
General public - 42%

Media coverage of President Bush has been ...
(Answered by members of the national print media, though national tv media answered similarly.)
Too critical - 9%
Not critical enough - 55%
Fair - 34%

Could it be that those saying the media is too easy on Bush are simply acting on their own beliefs? Howard Kurtz makes this point in today's Washington Post.