On the right side of the cable news aisle, we have the folks at Fox News, who trumpet their ’Äúfair and balanced’Äù coverage. On the left side, we have CNN, preferred by people who are likely to refer to Fox News as ’ÄúFaux News.’Äù

Is reporting on CNN too liberal? Is reporting on Fox News too conservative? Well, let’Äôs put it to the test, using last night’Äôs coverage of John Kerry’Äôs win in the Iowa caucuses as an example.

On CNN, Judy Woodruff and other correspondents discussed the caucus results immediately after Kerry’Äôs speech to supporters:

JUDY WOORUFF: ... I should say, how much the personal story of John Kerry has come into play in this campaign in the last few weeks. Jeff just talked about it. He has talked about his experience in Vietnam. We've met not one but two men whose lives John Kerry saved during the war in Vietnam. This, and the fact that he's so much more comfortable now talking about his experiences in Vietnam, his life, all of that, I think, has helped bring a shape, a human, and obviously a successful shape to this campaign...
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: ... John Kerry is a very formidable debater. He had a series of debates with Bill Weld when he faced reelection for the Senate. It was one of the great series of debates in American history. You just wait until George Bush gets into a debate with John Kerry, if John Kerry's the nominee.

Translation: Kerry is pure gold, baby, and a hell of a lot smarter than that idiot Bush from Texas.

At this point, I flipped the channel to Fox News (I have to paraphrase this, because I've yet to find a transcript):

FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (I’Äôm not certain who to attribute this to): Kerry’Äôs campaign was in real trouble. In fact, many people in the New England states were coming out against him after strong early support, so he had to go to Iowa and hope for something to happen. Tonight’Äôs results may show Kerry isn’Äôt as bad as they thought.

Translation: Kerry is a big loser whose campaign was on its last legs, but this Iowa campaign means he’Äôs not a TOTAL loser. Yet.

Show me which of these stories is ’Äúunfair,’Äù and I’Äôll show you where you are on the political spectrum.

In my view, both convey something true and newsworthy, even though both also have an obvious slant. And here’Äôs my real question: what’Äôs wrong with that? I like to see the news sifted through two opposing filters. Sorry to say, but ALL news is subject to the biases--conscious or unconscious--of the people writing and delivering said stories. And you know what? I wouldn’Äôt have it any other way, because watching a dry recitation of headlines would be as boring as watching John Kerry’Äôs ’ÄúThank You’Äù speech on television last night.

Whoops. Guess my bias slipped out there.