Katie Couric: Sean Hannity Without the Integrity

07 Aug, 2010 by B. Daniel Blatt

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In one of the better back-and-forths we had in a comment thread at GayPatriot, a thoughtful left-of-center reader considers Katie Couric’s bias, then makes an interesting point:

. . . if Biden and Palin were both to be interviewed on Fox News, I think you’d see the same difference in treatment (i.e., Fox would gun for Biden much more than they would gun for Palin)

Now, I don’t know how familiar that reader is with FoxNews, but the network features a variety of anchors, reporters and commentators — who have a great variety of opinions and are not interchangeable one with the other. : Bill O’Reilly has posed tough questions to Republicans and Democrats alike as have Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Brit Hume.

Sean Hannity, however, is a different story. : During the 2008 campaign, I watched his interview with John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin and saw him toss softball after softball at the accomplished then-Alaska Governor. : He showed her almost exactly the same deference Couric showed to Barack Obama’s running mate, the gaffe-prone then-Delaware Senator.

The difference? : Sean Hannity does not put himself forward as an impartial purveyor of news. : Katie Couric does.

Hannity even wrote a book making clear his agenda: Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama’s Radical Agenda.

Crossposted at GayPatriot.