What I am asking is different. Does a journalist with a known and promoted political bent produce stories that miss the mark because of that bias? I would argue that it damages a journalist's credibility.

I raise the question because of a panel I am currently sitting in on. The panel is made up of media critics. One of them, Eric Boehlert is a senior fellow at Media Matters for America. Everything he said in his opening statement painted the press as a pack of raving Republicans. I thought his musings on the press were a bit off. I took a look at his bio which says he authored the book, "Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled over for Bush." He is now writing a book about the 2008 presidential election and the role liberal bloggers played in the election.

How can I, or anybody, take his criticism of the press seriously if his focus is on liberal bloggers and the supposed conservative influence on the press? You can't.

His political positions might be nice on an editorial page, but not in media criticism. I want a critic that is going to take on bloggers from all parties, and examine the press with skeptical eye focused on the left and the right.