Chronicle's Bias Favors Newsom

As we head into the home stretch, it's interesting to see how the San Francisco Chronicle is presenting the mayoral race between Matt Gonzalez and Gavin Newsom. Here are just a few things that the Chronicle has recently told its readers:

• Newsom is playing fair, while Gonzalez's supporters are telling "desperate," "blatant lies."
  
  
• Gonzalez called Mayor Willie Brown "a liar Wednesday for suggesting publicly that Gonzalez has consistently voted against blacks seeking city jobs and appointments." (The Chronicle made no comment on the veracity of Brown's accusations.)
  
  
• "Each candidate has forged alliances that raise questions about whether he might continue some of the questionable practices of Willie Brown."
  
  
• "Both Gonzalez and Newsom have been guilty of picking the parts of the truth they like" for inclusion in their campaign literature.
  
  
• Both candidates are "major hotties."

When the Chronicle isn't reporting favorably on Newsom or negatively on Gonzalez, it's making comments or criticism directed at BOTH candidates. Is the Chronicle trying to appear fair and balanced? If they do aim for unbiased coverage, why haven't they told their readers that Gavin Newsom has outspent Matt Gonzalez 20 to 1, and has violated the city's campaign finance regulations? It's no secret that the Chronicle endorsed Newsom in the first election. I suppose the Chronicle's biased coverage of the runoff campaign shows that their endorsement is still good.