By John Ubaldi, “Ubaldi Reports”

For years, Republicans have complained about media bias and the uneven treatment received compared to how coverage is given to Democrats, but now we have seen this bias first hand at the New York Times with a recent attempt by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) to have an op-ed published.

Just this month we have learned that former New York Times opinion page editor Bari Weise alleged that her bosses refused to publish an op-ed submitted by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) regarding police reform in 2020 without first getting the approval of then Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Two years ago Bari Weise resigned from the New York Times citing “bullying” as well as an “illiberal environment” for those holding conservative views, made this stunning allegation on her popular podcast “Honestly with Bari Weiss,” as she interviewed Senator Scott.

The New York Times responded to this allegation by commenting “New York Times Opinion never seeks outside approval or consultation whether to publish guest opinion essays.”

While Weiss was interviewing Scott, she recalled a discussion among senior Times editors regarding an op-ed that the Senator wanted to submit following the aftermath of the slaying of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in Minneapolis during the spring of May of 2020,

Weiss recounts the events during this period, when Scott’s office asked the Times about publishing an op-ed on police reform legislation that he was working on titled the Justice Act.

The police reform bill Scott was proposing failed in the U.S. Senate due to intense pressure from Senate Democrats to include Democratic then Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats didn’t want Scott’s bill to pass as they wanted to use the issue during the campaign against Republicans and not give a win to President Trump.

Scott during the interview stated that the “Democrats really wanted the issue more than the solution.”

“Well, here’s what happened,” Weiss told Scott. “And this is the part I’m not sure if you know. There was a discussion about the piece and whether or not we should run it.”

Weiss continued: “And one colleague, a more senior colleague said to a more junior colleague who was pushing for the piece, ‘Do you think the Republicans really care about minority rights?’”

“Wow,” Scott said.

“And the more junior colleagues said, ‘I think Tim Scott cares about minority rights’,” Weiss said.

“And then, and here’s the pretty shocking part. The more senior colleague said, ‘Let’s check with Sen. Schumer before we run it’,” Weiss said.

She added that the younger colleague refused to reach out to Schumer due to ethics concerns.

Scott’s op-ed was never published.

“Are you surprised to hear that? Or does that story feel kind of representative of the way the media has treated you and maybe some of your colleagues?” Weiss asked.

“I am disappointed to hear that. I am not surprised to hear that. You have to remember that The Washington Post fact-checked my life,” Scott said.

Two distinct issues are at play here, the first being the outright bias in media coverage shown toward Republicans, then how they cover Democrats.

When it comes to minority rights, one only has to examine how Democrat run cities are governed, how Democratic progressive policies hurt the minority communities, the very same communities Democrats and media state they care about.

One glaring issue the media fails to investigate or report why if they care so much for the plight of the minority community that 70% of black and Hispanic children are deficient in math and English in the U.S. public education system.

The other area that needs to be addressed is that if these allegations are proven true have violated the media’s own ethics code as stated in the Society for Professional Journalism.

The New York Times has a history of bias in media coverage, because during this period the Times was considering whether to publish Scott’s op-ed, the newspaper’s newsroom erupted after it published an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) calling for a military response to widespread rioting in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Just examine this segment of the Society of Professional Journalism Ethics code;

Act Independently:

The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public.

Journalists should:

Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.

Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not.

Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.

Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. Prominently label sponsored content.

Ask your does the media follow its own ethical standards?