We in our humble shop often refer to the mainstream media as the Leftmedia. Why? For starters, the Leftmedia — despite its supposed allegiance to impartiality — has its own narrative through which “journalism” and “reporting” must pass muster. Secondly, there are the sheer numbers. Conservatives are significantly outnumbered in the field. According to a new poll, out of 63 reporters in the White House press corps, a mere 5% — or three individuals — are registered as Republicans. Five percent.

Believe it or not, this is actually an improvement. In 2016, Republicans weren’t represented at all. This year, 16% of White House reporters register as Democrats. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. As for those who claim to be “independent” or those who are non-registered (37% for both groups, the highest of any other), it’s just about impossible not to conclude that most of them are closet Democrats. Some clues are found in the same poll. For example, when asked, “Which reporter does the best job covering Trump?” the press corps gave reporters from The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post the top honors in five of the top six slots. Just one reporter represents a more right-leaning outlet (Fox News). And as far as “Which outlet does the best job?” the Post, Times and CNN came in first, second and third place, respectively. These aren’t exactly “impartial” news sources.

Yet the Leftmedia is still on defense. On Saturday, White House Correspondents’ Association president Jeff Mason — who is still bitter over Donald Trump’s decision to forgo the annual dinner — vehemently insisted, “We are not fake news. We are not failing news organizations. And we are not the enemy of the American people.” We think he doth protest too much. After all, if that’s true, why did he recruit The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj as the keynote jokester? As Gary Bauer points out, Minhaj is a fake reporter for Comedy Central. This is the wrong way to prove legitimacy. In the end, the Trump bashing only re-affirmed America’s perception of the biased Leftmedia.