Get a load of this Washington Post headline today:
Shutdown begins: Stalemate forces first U.S. government closure in 17 years
Yeah. Sort of like 'mistakes were made' or 's&*t happens.
Now, take a look at TPM's leading headline this morning:
HOUSE GOP FORCES FIRST GOVT SHUTDOWN IN 17 YEARS
See the difference? The WaPo headline smacks of 'both sides are to blame' while TPM puts the onus exactly where it belongs: on John Boehner's House of Representatives.
There's been a lot of good writing lately about the mainstream media's penchant for false equivalence -- taking a 'both sides do it', 'pox on both their houses' posture in news coverage when, in fact, GOP extremism is to blame for the current state of affairs -- for a sample, just take a look at today's APR. (And definitely read this Fallows piece.)
How about we track and catalogue it here today on DKos?
Feel free to use the comments section below to paste any examples of media malpractice in this vein that you find.
UPDATE: ThinkProgress has Six Headlines About The Government Shutdown That Will Destroy Your Faith In Journalism.