Bozell Blasts Biased Media Coverage: National Press Is 'A Laughingstock'

MRC President Brent Bozell appeared with other conservative leaders at the National Press Club this morning to urge that the Republican Party respond to their election defeat by returning to their conservative Reaganite roots. During his remarks, Bozell lambasted the national media’s biased campaign coverage, blasting them as “a laughingstock when it comes to the idea of objective journalism.”

Video available (1:13): Real (2.0 MB) or Windows Media (2.3 MB), also MP3 audio (349 KB)

In the press conference televised live on C-SPAN, Bozell listed the missed opportunities and strategic errors made by the Republicans, then focused on the media’s hand in crafting yesterday’s outcome:

“And then they [the Republicans] had the problem with the national press. I will say this unequivocally: In 25 years of looking at the national media, I have never in my life seen a more one-sided, distorted, vicious presentation of news and non-news by the national press. The national press ought to be collectively ashamed of itself. They might as well take out membership in the Democratic national party, they were simply microphones for the party. They need to be ashamed of themselves for what they did.

“They are a laughingstock when it comes to the idea of objective journalism. They distorted the record time and again. A simple example: When gas prices went to near historic highs, the media couldn’t stop talking about what disastrous results Republican party policies were having. When gas prices plummeted, did the media give the Republican party any credit, or this administration? None whatsover. Instead, they advanced Lyndon LaRouche conspiracy theories about how Republicans were manipulating gas prices in order to get elected. Shame on the national press.”

Throughout the press conference, C-SPAN identified Bozell as the President of the Parents Television Council. While that is one of Bozell's jobs, he was appearing this morning as President of the Media Research Center and head of the Conservative Victory Committee. The Parents Television Council had nothing to do with today's event.

UPDATE: A later C-SPAN broadcast corrected the error and we've updated our video here.