As I read the Union-Tribune's abridged version of the New York Times John Kerry/Swift Boat Vets story, something occurred to me. As a story works its way through the process of actually appearing on the printed page -- from the reporter to the line editor(s) to the section editor(s) to the copy editor to the slot (the final copy editor) -- is it possible (or likely) that a story on the 2004 election could go through all those people and never actually be seen/touched by a conservative?

After thinking about it, I'm convinced that at many papers -- mine not excepted -- that answer is "yes". That's bad news for journalism.