The lead of The New York Times’s story about financial troubles at The Irish Times pays tribute to that paper as a “guide” to Hibernians doubtless bewildered by “the economic and cultural booms of the last decade.” Brian Lavery, the article’s author, could tell this by the “nonpartisan and unbiased approach” with which “The Times pushed issues to the fore with a progressive, literate, pro-European voice.” It’s a small example, I admit, but as perfect in its way as you will find of the way in which the subject of “bias” is understood, not only at The New York Times but also in most of the mainstream media in the United States. Just as, in the European context, “nonpartisan and unbiased” means practically the same in the eyes of Mr. Lavery and The New York Times as “progressive, literate, pro-European,” so in the United States the same w ...

This article is available to subscribers and for individual purchase