Two things on Drudge illustrate how uncontrolled liberal bias in the news media, built up over decades, has destroyed the icons of the US News Media. The rot in the profession became glaringly apparent with the RaTHergate story and the forged documents used to make up a story about Presidential candidate George Bush. The fact that some technologically challenged dinosaurs still won’t admit the documents are forgeries (and they are) is just a sign of the rot.

The News Media created a profession that was so slanted to one ideological view it began to believe that view was the only viable one for mankind. It was not until opposing reasonable views from the conservative side began to come out in the media that the public realized that those it had put its trust in to provide objective information for people had violated that trust. Lying to people and covering up opposing views was an affront to the consumers of the product they once trusted implicitly.

I often said the only thing of value for a company in the news business was its reputation. And once destroyed it cannot be easily regained. Moreover, repeated misuse of a reputation to flaunt biased and erroneous story lines would lead to the destruction of a news media company.

Drudge notes a Zogby poll that shows the depth of damage the liberal bias in the old and dying icons of news journalism has done to itself.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.

While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed.

The ‘on-line’ version of these rotted-out news media houses is not any better than the print, TV or radio versions. The key is not being on-line, it is being balanced and striving to be objective. The fact is with the internet you can collate the reporting from various media companies and then create a semblance of a balanced view on whatever is the topic you are interested in. That is why the internet is the preferred avenue, the consumer is in control – not the media filters and spinners.

One of the companies that will fall the hardest will be the one that use to be at the top of the heap in America – the NY Times. That once venerable paper has seen its readership drop off as its inability to contain its liberal bias drop off. The culmination of its rotten core was shown the other weak in the McCain hit piece which had no reporting in it. It was simply a fantasy fiction for (or from) the DNC. And Americans knew it and are fed up with the BS coming from these outlets of spin.

The NY Times is apparently under a lot of pressure to fix itself now:

A dissident investor stepped up pressure on The New York Times Co. Friday, formally proposing its own slate of four directors and saying the company needs to take more drastic action to compete online.

…

The looming proxy battle comes as the Times and other U.S. newspapers are facing huge challenges in adapting to the steady migration of readers and advertising dollars to the Internet. An economic slowdown coupled with a deep slump in the housing market is worsening the situation.

Earlier Friday, the Times reported that its newspaper advertising fell 11.4 percent in January, mainly due to a 22.6 percent dropoff in classified advertising, a lucrative business for newspapers that is especially vulnerable to competition from online rivals like Craigslist, eBay and Move.com.

Unless the plan is to clean house, retire some old and worn out liberal ranters, and get back into the business of being an American news company I doubt it will stop the decay from taking down the Old Gray Lady. Even with massive changes the chances are slim the NY Times will recover any time soon. Darwin was right about evolution and the ability to adapt in order to survive. Evolution begins with the concept of ‘evolving’ to stay current with the environment. There are always those who refuse to change and become extinct. And nothing will change them or their destiny.