I am writing in response to Tuesday’s issue of the Northern Star that addressed the issue of whether the media holds a bias to the left. In the Sweeps section, the question of whether a bias exists was posed to five “random” people. These “random” people included a Democratic candidate for Illinois representative, the president of NIU’s College Democrats, a chairwoman from the DeKalb Democratic Party, the founder of Generation Dean and even the editor of the piece himself, Greg Feltes!

Wow. I am amazed.

The luck of “randomly” choosing individuals who all seem not only representative of the left but also in positions of influence for the Democratic party must be in the billions! Explain to me, Mr. Feltes, how does one “randomly” choose himself to be in his own piece? Even better, though, is your quote that, “no one can offer any tangible proof that such a bias exists.” How about that Barack Obama button you were wearing in the photo? Was that another “random” occurrence? Did you just add it to strengthen the “objectivity” of your piece? Or did you just think it’d be funny and cute to show bias in a piece about bias? You cannot perform such actions and still wonder why there is a belief that the media leans toward the left because you’ve proved it.

Here’s an interesting proposal for you, Mr. Feltes. First, ask your colleagues at the Star if they believe they are biased in any way. I predict most will say: “No, of course not!” Then ask them if they are more liberal or more conservative in their beliefs. Ask them who they will cast their vote for in November. I predict that at least 85 to 90 percent will answer with “more liberal” and “John Kerry.” Now go to your journalism classes and ask your fellow journalism students the same questions. I predict you will get similar results not just here, but nationwide. By having such a huge majority of like-minded individuals, the bias goes unseen because no one sees it as bias.

As a journalism student myself, I believe most bias is unintentional and generally quite subtle. However, although it may be subtle, it is still there. The instances occur often, and if I thought I would be granted the space to list them, I would. Instead, I recommend reading “Showdown” by Libertarian author Larry Elder. It clearly illustrates this perspective.

In the meantime, I hope most bias stays where it should: Right here on the editorial page.

Stephen R. Brejcha

Senior, journalism

Star’s random poll needs to be more random

I am writing in response to the Sweeps poll that appeared in Tuesday’s Northern Star. I am a foreign language major here at NIU, but even my limited knowledge of statistics is enough to tell me that this poll was not by any means “random” as the paper claimed in at least two separate places. All of the people quoted were Democrats! If you are going to claim you are conducting a random poll, please do so. Go to the King Memorial Commons and ask people walking by. It really isn’t difficult, and most people could give you a pretty quick answer. Instead, by publishing the poll as you did and quoting only Democrats, you have definitely confirmed to me that the Star, at least, has a liberal slant. I’m not so sure that was what you were trying to do, but that’s what I came away from the poll thinking.

Jennifer Garden

Senior, German language

and literature/Spanish

language and literature