Blogger Counters Bias Claims -- With Gun-Toting Photo

By: Joe Strupp In the growing world of newspaper political blogs, responding strongly to critics and allegations of bias can be an almost daily occurrence.

But Sam Taylor of the Bellingham (Wash.) Herald might have taken it to a new level. In response to what he claims were ongoing accusations of bias, Taylor posted a unique message Monday on his blog that accused some critics of failing to see other viewpoints.

Then, to either prove his point or add an element of humor, Taylor posted a photo of himself holding an AK-47. Above the image, he wrote, "Maybe this makes me right wing."

Below the photo he added, "Did I forget to mention this? This is how I spent my Thanksgiving holiday in Idaho with family. Shooting AK-47s. Does this make me right-wing?"

Taylor told E&P today that he posted the photo and the comment about it making him appear as a right-winger in an effort to show that it is wrong to label him or anyone a liberal or conservative based on appearance. "People will look at it and try to peg me in some hole," he told E&P. "Looking at someone, you cannot just do that. I thought people were going out of their way to try and peg me."

He said the gun was not even his, noting he borrowed it from a shooting range he visited in Idaho, where he grew up. Taylor opened the posting with the following message:

"I?d like to continue the discussion here about bias. I?m curious what you all think about this issue. I?ve been accused of being a liberal and a right-winger during the course of my journalism career, and on this very blog (and in e-mail)," he wrote. "It appears that the reason why people come to such conclusions is because I?m just not reporting their perspective, I?m trying to cover all sides. Some people just can?t seem to accept that their (sic) are other viewpoints than theirs. Sure, yours might be correct, but does that mean that nobody else should be covered?"

Taylor, 23, covers politics and government and joined the paper in 2006.

Since the item was posted on Monday, it had received 31 comments as of Wednesday morning. They ranged from critics who wrote, "I think you look ridiculous. Maybe you're an independent?" to "Hey Sam...welcome to the dark side. I think you do a fine job."

Taylor responded to several of the postings with his own comments in the comment section. Among those: "I was trying to make the point that people seem to have false impressions of not only me and the work I do but about each other. Plus, the picture is hilarious, I mean - come on."

After the photo was posted, Taylor said Executive Editor Julie Shirley expressed "a little bit of concern," but did not order it removed. "She said in the future we should probably have a chat about such things beforehand."

Editors at the paper were not immediately available for comment.