On the first charge, I plead ignorance. How do you define what a journalist is these days? Are journalists solely those people who have been anointed by the traditional media? Or is Matt Drudge a journalist?

If you ask me, for breaking the Monica Lewinsky story, Matt Drudge fits the historical definition of a journalist a hell of a lot more than the people at Newsweek who--presumably out of deference to a president whose ideology they shared--sat on the Lewinsky story when they could have broken it.

So, am I a journalist? I don't know. If you think I am, that's fine with me, and if you think I'm not, that's fine, too.

As for the second charge--that I'm biased--I say you're right. I know I'm biased. I've admitted that for quite some time.

But Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings are also biased. Not only that, the entire media is biased. In fact, everyone alive is biased; we all look at the world with our own perspective. If journalists are capable of not letting their view of the world affect how they present that view of the world to others, then they are the only humans alive who can do it.

Although I'd like to think that most members of the traditional media do not consciously color their reporting, there are subtle ways that opinions can seep out. Any presentation can be tainted by word choice, body language, facial expressions or tone of voice. When consumers of information are knowledgeable about the biases of the various producers of information, they are more capable of separating facts from their packaging. By hiding their bias, media outlets are making it more difficult for people to distinguish between fact and opinion. This causes people to unwittingly consume opinions that are disguised as facts.

I'm not arguing that the media should rid itself of bias, because that's not possible. But it would be nice if the media were honest about its bias instead of covering it up. Knowing that Tim Russert--the host of NBC's Meet the Press--worked for two liberal Democrats from New York (Senator Pat Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo) helps us understand his perspective. But, for some reason, while mentioning this work, NBC's biography of Russert omits the names and political affiliation of the people for whom he worked. Why?

Now, one can have a bias and still act with integrity. From what I've observed, Tim Russert appears to conduct his work with integrity. But I would make the obviously self-serving argument that admitting you have a bias is a sign of greater integrity than pretending you don't. Not only is it more honest, it leads to a more accurate public comprehension of the facts behind the news. Therefore, because I reveal my bias instead of hiding it, you should trust me more than you trust the traditional media.

At the very least, I hope people view the reporting of Dan Rather et al. with the same critical eye that they view my work. After all, there's no denying that the traditional media has done much to earn our skepticism.

There should be a conservative counterbalance to Michael Moore...my long-term goal is to ensure that it happens.

In the meantime, I'll just keep trying to write as many articles and produce as many videos as my time, finances and inspiration will allow.

Oh, and if I get a chance to be on The McLaughlin Group or sing in a Radiohead or Pink Floyd cover band, that'd be nice, too.

On the About Brain Terminal page.

Until February 2003, Brain Terminal had a small but loyal readership that grew slowly since the site's inception in the fall of 2001.

That was changed by the attention that the Protesting the Protesters video [read more]received.

As a rule (which I violated once when a friend of mine wrote a moving response to September 11th), I don't post outside submissions, aside from the occasional letter in response to Brain Terminal postings.

This policy has nothing to do with the quality of the submissions I've received. Rather, this policy is based on my desire to keep the website small and focused.

There is a sizable body of good work out there, and posting even a small portion of the worthy writing would grow my site beyond what I'd like. Becoming the editor of a large site is something that I have neither the time nor the inclination to take on right now. I enjoy writing, and I enjoy shooting videos. I would not enjoy the day-to-day administration that I'd need to perform if Brain Terminal became a large site with much more frequent updates.

A number of people graciously offered to help defray the costs operating Brain Terminal and producing video content. I've taken the advice of those who suggested setting up a PayPal contribution system.

On the About Brain Terminal page.

Yes!

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It is quite possible that you'll think a future article falls into the useless category. This I cannot guard against.

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Yes! Just send me an e-mail with the particulars of your request.

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I do. Just send me an e-mail with the particulars of your request.

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I'll certainly consider it. Just send me an e-mail with the particulars of your request.

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