More than 100 protesters gather outside St. Petersburg Times

ST. PETERSBURG — More than 100 protesters marched outside the entrance to the main office of the St. Petersburg Times Saturday morning, accusing the newspaper and the media in general of biased reporting on conservative positions on issues such as health care reform and government spending.

Protesters carried signs that read "State Run Media," or "Take the Left From Your Slant" and "Journalism Malpractice — Just Report the Facts."

Protesters generally complained about media bias on national issues, accusing the "liberal media" of supporting the Obama administration on a variety of issues and then inaccurately portraying the political right as an unreasonable fringe.

"The press needs to be unbiased," said Joe Sekola, 48, of New Port Richey, an organizer of a group called the North Pinellas 9.12 Project. "You guys are the watchdogs."

Some protesters said the Times and other media supported big government, wasteful government spending and opposed tort reform.

"I think it's time for the country to go back to what the Founding Fathers wanted it to be — a republic and free," said George Hughes, 61, a longtime St. Petersburg resident now living in Arcadia.

Times executive editor Neil Brown said the newspaper hears similar complaints from the political right and left from time to time.

"They tend to be expressions of disappointment that our coverage hasn't lined up exactly with their own point of view," Brown said. "We recognize that often the most unpopular place to be is somewhere in the middle and we're comfortable with that.

"Most issues we cover are less black and white than some people believe. Our job is to explain that — even though some find that frustrating. Across the paper, in the news pages and the editorial pages, you'll find many diverse viewpoints represented. On balance, I think we're, well, pretty balanced."