19 February 2005 >>
Dana Milbank, a
Washington Post reporter that many conservatives perceive as having a thinly-veiled liberal bias, was recently
interviewed by the hard-left blog
Daily Kos.
In April 2004, Markos (”Kos”) Moulitsas Zúniga—the proprietor of Daily Kos—made news around the blogosphere after the charred bodies of four dead Americans were strung up from a bridge in Fallujah. His compassionate response to the grisly display was, “They were there to wage war for profit. Screw them.” But instead of the comment relegating Kos to political oblivion, the Democratic political establishment ignored it and embraced him. Why? Because his site is a fundraising powerhouse that funneled around a half-million dollars to various Democratic candidates.
Given the extreme partisanship of Daily Kos, it seems like an odd choice for Dana Milbank’s first blog interview. By all appearances, it just furthers the perception that Milbank himself is a partisan journalist. Would he grant an interview to a conservative blog? That’s what I intend to find out.
Earlier today, I left Mr. Milbank a voicemail requesting an interview and followed it up with an e-mail. As yet, there has been no response. However, as a public service, I will persist in trying to get an interview with him, and I will keep you posted about my progress—or lack thereof.
If Milbank is willing to grant interviews to left-wing blogs but won’t submit to questioning from conservatives, one could reasonably conclude that it is an indication of his personal political preferences.
For now, I’m reserving judgment. The life of a reporter is very hectic, and in fairness to Mr. Milbank, he has not yet had a reasonable amount of time to respond.
Stay tuned...
