sam I am

People are always accusing the media of biases. Too supportive of the right, of the left, of gay rights, of "family values," of certain religions, the environment, pro-business, anti-business, you name it. And yes, I would agree that on some level it is impossible to create journalism in a vacuum. Even if it's not apparent in the story, just the decisions about news factors alone show biases of some sort.

Yesterday, my biases could no longer be kept a secret: I'm pro-koalas.




I wanted to be the Associated Press reporter who got to watch a firefighter rescue Sam, as the rescued koala has now been names. And clearly I'm not alone in my bias.

Since the video was first posted, Sam has become an international sensation. Multiple news outlets have been following his recovery (aka publishing the AP story, because everyone is slashing their foreign bureaus). CNN even did its own follow-up story:



This is the kind of journalism that I realize seems frivolous in the face of a $800+ billion bailout, but what can you do. It's certainly a more pleasant way to cover widespread destruction and death that showing half of Australia burned to the ground.