[legion]

Most students who go into journalism are out to prove something. Through their time in journalism school, their thoughts and methods are refined by their professors. Through peer pressure, they start to conform to the norms of their chosen profession.

I don't think it's an intentional conspiracy, but the end result is a lot of people who all do the same job and think alike. They believe it is their duty to advocate their point of view with their work. Sometimes it even turns into a bit of a pissing contest.

Enter Fox News and the Internet. Suddenly there are competing forces on the scene who do not advocate the same point of view. As you've seen on this very BBS, the reaction can be violent, the cognitive dissonance great. The resolution is of course to blame these other media outlets--to say they don't report correctly or are biased. Of course all of the "old" institutions are biased as well, but those biases were in harmony with the biases of those who have such an attachment to the "old school". They are unable or unwilling to see where they stand nor see the real source of their frustrations: the playing field has become somewhat leveled and their ideas are no longer allowed to dominate without question.