NPR Liberal Bias against Tom DeLay...

So nobody would be shocked to hear me call NPR a "liberal" news source- but today I was once again reminded that, although this is the place I go for "unbiased" news, they are biased, too- and in a much more subtle way that most. Don't get me wrong, subtle is good-there is less ridiculous, over-the-top, Action News-esque reporting. But subtle is bad-because you have to listen that carefully to catch the small, unfair biases that are almost always missed.

I have in mind here their report on the indictment of Tom DeLay, which was basically a thirty-ish second rundown of the un-kosher thing the guy supposedly did with his campaign finances. The short report focused immediately on the fact that DeLay "stepped down" from his position as Majority Leader. The report (which aired over and over and over today) stated first thing that "Republican congressman Tom DeLay stepped down from his position as GOP Majority Leader, today, after an indictment by a Texas grand jury"- yadda yadda. They then go on to say what he did-something about campaign finance issues.

The frustrating thing for me is the primary focus on his "stepping down." For me, this all goes back to The Fugitive and the "why did you run? Running only makes you look guilty" strategy. Running makes you look guilty. So does stepping down. Stepping down from a position of authority is, in our day, an assumed admission of guilt. It is (in the minds of most) a relinquishing of duties that you recognize you are no longer qualified to have because you have, effectively, screwed up, and now you have to get out before the scandal overwhelms you. We've seen this most recently with the US Emergencies Chief, Michael Brown, who stepped down from his position when faced with criticism on his handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He recognized that he realistically had no place, no authority left. He was inexperienced, was found out, and had to run away before the scandal took over. He stepped down because he was no longer any good to anyone, was going to be booted anyway, and left without a fuss on his own. And by stepping down, he admitted his inadequacy to the world-an admission of guilt.

And now, today, we have Tom DeLay, "stepping down," according to NPR (the exact same phrase that was used for Brown). But did DeLay step down out of choice, like Michael Brown? NO! House rules prevent members indicted by state grand juries from remaining in a leadership post. He didn't "step down." He was forced out by rules. But NPR neglected to state this crucial fact in their 30-second blurb that aired all day. I argue that by stating that he "stepped down" and by not stating the truth-that he was "forced to resign due to House rules"-NPR did a serious disservice to DeLay-setting up an implication that he made a conscious choice based on a fear of being caught in some scandal. Or worse, they implied that DeLay was afraid he would be booted from his place as a leader and so he stepped down before that could happen. In reality, DeLay just did what he had to do until a further investigation can happen. For NPR to do this just shows us once again that they have a liberal stance that cannot go unchecked.