Conservatives for the "liberal media"

Since Littlegreenfootballs, and Drudge before that, have scored direct hits at the Mainstream Media's blunders, conservatives have made a virtual pasttime of identifying examples of journalism's "liberal bias."

"The New York Times is liberal!" "The Courier-Journal is liberal!" While certainly the editorial pages of these papers lean left, does their news?

Conservatives are quick to forget that the New York Times was the organization responsible for cracking open the Whitewater investigation that led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. And Kentucky conservatives have the Courier-Journal to thank for ending the political career of Paul Patton.

So just because the paper is hammering a Republican governor now, doesn't mean it lets the Democrats off the hook. Furthermore (and more to my point), many old-school conservatives see the value of a muscular press.

Today, the liberal New York Times ran an Op-Ep by ulta-leftist Bob Dole in defense of Judith Miller and the importance of the Fourth Estate.

From his column:

As someone with a long record of government service, I must admit that I did not always appreciate the inquisitive nature of the press. But I do understand that the purpose of a reporter's privilege is not to somehow elevate journalists above other segments of society. Instead, it is designed to help guarantee that the public continues to be well informed.

His full text here.

Of course, it's good that some conservatives are coming to Miller's aid, because if you've been reading DailyKos, you know that the liberals remember that Miller was the Times reporter responsible for moving all of Chalabi's disinformation regarding the Iraqi WMD programs onto the front page of the NYTimes.

If it is the "liberal media," then why are the liberals so skeptical of it?