DM
Yep. DC is about power. It's okay to question who should have it (though Republicans or Democrats are your only choices), but it's almost unheard of to question whether any of 'em should have it at all. And rewards are given to those who Play the Game. For instance, I was interviewing some FCC commissioners recently for an upcoming article in a widely-read print mag, and the agency wanted the article to tilt their way. A week later I found my name on the posh invite list to black-tie dinners with the commissioners. That's access, folks, and it's responsible for a good portion of a journalistic success. If you don't have it, your articles suffer.
I rest my case. That's *bias* and essentially *bribery*, folks, and its responsible for a good portion of the corruption of the media. and what's more amusing, not a single reporter involved in it has any pangs of doubt. DM is downright proud that he's so clever that he's figured out this ingenious inbred system of you-scratch-my-back!! congratulations on your ingenuity, DM!! you will truly go a long way with your clearly highly negotiable and hockable ethical standards...! I see you must be eyeing the NYT or the Washington Post, eh? (DM, imagine the manipulation that you are describing getting *worse* as you rise to the top, with your scent of it only a small whiff in comparison, and you begin to understand the corruption that infects the reality that surrounds us..)