Letter: Bias spewing from some news media is harmful

Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 | 4:25 a.m.

There is so much exploitation, contradiction and bias spewing out of the media that it's hard to know what or who to believe. My compliments and thanks to the Las Vegas Sun, especially for the Editorial and Opinion sections -- at least we know the letters to the editor are sincere and that they are not bought and paid for.

Americans can handle the truth, as the saying goes. What they can't handle are half-truths and whole lies. The words "fair and balanced," "the spin stops here," "the network America trusts" -- those are the lies. Radio and TV personalities Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity remind me of Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, only they're not as funny and they actually have some people believing them, which is harmful. Both of them put a pen between their finger and thumb and point; this is to make the public think they are articulate. Actually, they are about as sincere and honest as professional wrestling. O'Reilly goes to commercial break as soon as he feels the dialogue is not going his way, and Hannity defends the president right or wrong or he will lose his job. I think they are both cowards and that all they are about is collecting their pay checks.

We mortals are not all fools.

SHEL BERLATSKY