At long last, a top Republican official decides to confront the issue of media bias on the national stage. With Reince Priebus justifiably going after NBC and CNN over the past few days, conservatives may finally start to feel at ease that one of their own is actually doing something about the problem. For far too long, the most prominent Republicans in Washington have kept quiet about the mainstream media directing disproportionate scrutiny their way, opting instead for a “turn the other cheek, let bygones be bygones” approach.

That hasn’t worked. The mainstream media — which includes NBC (and the laughable MSNBC), CNN, NPR, The Daily Show, and countless other “news” outlets — has only ramped up its criticism of Republican candidates, party brass, and the most basic conservative principles. Conservative thinkers have been vilified, while liberal thinkers emerge unscathed. The 43rd president’s implementation of the Patriot Act is met by widespread denunciation, while the 44th president’s expansion of the law is greeted by silent ignorance. One candidate’s gaffe on the campaign trail is justified by a lack of sleep, while another candidate’s gaffe is a clear indication of stupidity and laziness.

Lest we forget “57 states.” And “cling to guns and religion.”

A double standard clearly exists, which the existence of Fox News cannot hope to erase, despite its best efforts — the list of competitors is simply too long for one player to change the game. When it comes to bias, there are countless examples and the damage is dealt doubly: the Republican Party is exposed to disproportionate animosity and consistently negative imaging, while its primary competitor is either glorified or, should something go wrong, left completely alone.

The Republicans must always compete against the Democrats (an already worthy adversary), and then the left-leaning media backing them.

Take the sexual transgressions of Anthony Weiner and Bob Filner (both Democrats, by the way). Let’s safely assume that they are clearly in the wrong and the scandals are nothing short of disgusting. One would think that the mainstream media might link the two politicians to their political party — which oversees them and sends funding their way — simply by playing the game of association. (Basically, that these aren’t just any independent political figures; they are public representatives of the Democratic Party, through and through). On top of that, it would seem safe to assume that the mainstream media might engage in questioning or inquiries of some kind. Why hasn’t the Democratic Party firmly and repeatedly condemned the actions of these men? What can the Democrats do to correct their image and set the ship straight? How can the Democrats fix this embarrassing problem?

Let’s not forget that this isn’t unprecedented. A certain U.S. president, a certain vice presidential candidate, and a certain New York governor all gave in to their sexual temptations while serving their party and the country — and they were Democrats, which seems to be forgotten nowadays.

And yet, the mainstream media doesn’t play the game of association with everyone. It never chooses to do so when one side’s in question, for this supposedly isn’t the wrongdoing of the Democratic Party. Fringe candidates and mere individuals are to blame. This is all on Anthony Weiner and Bob Filner, and Bill Clinton and John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer. They may represent the party, but you can’t point your finger at the party.

It’s really too bad that the same logic doesn’t apply to the other side. When Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock each let something stupid slip last year, that was the GOP’s fault. It was a failing of the political party at large, not just some foolish individual in Missouri or rural Indiana. Questions of “rebranding” (the punditry’s favorite term) and the sustainability of conservatism twenty years from now suddenly emerged out of nowhere, and the very future of the Grand Old Party is now cast in serious doubt. Many in the media deemed the mistakes to be fatal. A few indefensible remarks surface and Armageddon is upon us!

“Did you hear what those two said? What’s wrong with Republicans these days?”

The association was in place right from the start. Just because someone somewhere said something stupid, and the mainstream media latched onto it with partisan intentions. So, I’m not saying that the Democratic Party should be blamed for the mistakes of Weiner, Filner, and the rest. Party leaders in Washington most likely didn’t know what was going on beforehand. I’m just pointing out that the coverage must be fair and balanced.

When one is criticized for wrongdoing, then the other must also be criticized for a similar wrongdoing. What ever happened to the notions of “across the board” and “universal”?

There is an undeniable double standard at work here, a hypocrisy that must be addressed and shoved into the national spotlight by those on the national stage. Honestly, media bias is nothing short of a crisis in communication, and it mustn’t be allowed to fester. When one man does one bad thing and another man does a similarly bad thing, then both men should be subject to the same amount of scrutiny — the first man shouldn’t be hounded, while the other avoids undue attention. This is a fundamental tenet of political coverage that should apply to all situations. Across the board.

And yet, it doesn’t. The mainstream media favors one side of the aisle, and media bias keeps popping up in one spot and then another.

Well, at least someone is addressing it with some fervor. The RNC’s head man should be joined in his valiant fight, for it affects conservatives everywhere and even decides national elections in November. Reince Priebus shouldn’t stand alone. We don’t know yet if anything will change because of his discontent, but it’s definitely worth supporting him.