The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times newspapers, along with television networks ABC, CBS and NBC, and magazines such as Time and Newsweek managed to keep stories hurtful to Republicans on the front burner the entire year, while ignoring similar stories about Democrats. The Mark Foley scandal warranted frontpage coverage every day from the moment it broke in September until the November election.

Meanwhile, William Jefferson's name may be unfamiliar to you. He's the Democrat congressman who was caught on video taking a bribe, and who had $90,000 in cash wrapped in foil in his freezer. You have to search diligently to find his story.

So the MSM had a great year. However, a couple of more blatantly Liberal vehicles didn't do so well.

Air America Radio
Air America Radio filed for bankruptcy in October. Its programs had ratings lower than dead air and static, to the point that many advertisers, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, McDonald's, Cingular, Visa, Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, the U.S. Postal Service and the Navy, explicitly said that they did not want to be associated with the unattractive corpse. Financial scandals and a defamation suit (which a judge recently ruled can continue) pretty much put the pennies over the eyes of the Liberal network which upon its debut only two years ago got frontpage attaboys from the entire MSM.

As a result, the demi-celebrity hosts have all left. Al Franken, the last rat on the sinking ship, is deluding himself into considering a political career, so his time is also short. Not getting paid by the failed Liberal enterprise probably played a big part in his decision.

You can be sure he wishes for happier (and better paying) times as Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live.

Keith Olbermann and MSNBC
Many Liberal lottery ticket-buyers point to MSNBC, and Liberal henchman Keith Olbermann's "increase" in ratings during 2006 as proof of some sort of recovery. MSNBC did, indeed, increase its ratings, due mainly to KO's manufactured feud with top dog Bill O'Reilly of Fox. (Liberals suckling from the Conservative teat is nothing new; Franken had to invoke Rush Limbaugh's name to sell his book.)

However, MSNBC's so-called "success" is a will-o'-the-wisp. The network consistently ranks sixth out of five, one below dead last. If we still had test patterns it would rank even lower. Meanwhile, Fox News Channel, nemesis of Liberals because it reports the truth (which they can't abide,) remained firmly in the lead, maintaining a strong hold on cable news with 14 of the top 15 programs.

The Lesson
What this proves is that, in order to survive, Liberal media, just like Liberal politicians, have to present themselves as more conservative than they really are. Boldly and honestly revealing their true ideology is the kiss of death.