Rumsfeld: People Should 'Penalize Media Outlets That Have a Strong Bias'

Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that Americans should and do penalize media outlets that have a strong bias.

Speaking with Steve Malzberg via Spreecast, the former Secretary of Defense added, "They stop buying those newspapers, or they change their channel and go to a channel that they think is somewhat more balanced" (video follows with transcript and commentary, relevant section begins at minute 15:00):

STEVE MALZBERG, HOST: When U.S. policy stated by the White House spokesperson Jay Carney as “You know our policy - the status of Jerusalem is to be determined in negotiations," they will not say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. He won’t say what the capital of Israel is. You say what?

DONALD RUMSFELD: I say the capital of Israel is where Israel says it is. That seems self-evident.

MALZBERG: And the United States should if the presidential spokesman is asked, he should say it’s Jerusalem?

RUMSFELD: I would think so.

MALZBERG: Okay, so you agree with Mitt Romney as opposed to the Barack Obama administration?

RUMSFELD: Well, I do. I think that, I’ve been concerned about the press that Gov. Romney’s been receiving on this trip. I think his decision to go to Israel was a good decision. I think his decision to go to Poland was a good decision…And the criticism that’s been leveled against his trip I think is unfortunate and petty.

Rumsfeld’s criticism got even harsher a few minutes later (at 18:30):

MALZBERG: Is Mitt Romney a victim of the same media that you and President Bush were and are victims of and have been? Do you believe there’s a built in media bias that’s now out to get Romney?

RUMSFELD: Oh, I think it’s self-evident that there is a large element in the media in our country and in some other countries that favors the left and that favors people who espouse liberal views if you will – misusing the word, I should say. Traditional liberalism is something quite different – but people who espouse views that government is the, ought to be a more powerful, bigger, more involved with people’s lives than, that is a relatively dominant theme in the media. And that is a situation that I think the American people have come to understand and accept and over time they tend to penalize, as they should. They penalize media outlets that have a strong bias. And they stop buying those newspapers, or they change their channel and go to a channel that they think is somewhat more balanced. And I think that’s a good thing. The marketplace works, and it should work.

Indeed. Maybe the best example of the marketplace working is in the price of New York Times stock courtesy BigCharts.com:

'Nuf said.