The online discussions Washington Post reporters participate in daily are becoming a frequent source of media criticism. Last week, Perry Bacon criticized the use of the “loaded” phrase “class warfare.” Yesterday, Alec MacGinnis agreed that media reports about Obama “raising taxes” leave out important context (namely, that he's cutting taxes for the overwhelming majority of Americans.) And today, Ben Pershing says that the media focuses far too much on earmarks, which constitute a “small sliver” of government spending:

Earmarks, Smermarks!: The “earmarks” account for less than 2 percent of the bill. Chump Change. Come on guys! Keep your eye on the ball!

Ben Pershing: Earmarks definitely do get a disproportionately large amount of press coverage, given the relatively small sliver of federal spending they represent. I bet if you asked the average voter how much of federal spending is earmarked, they would guess a number a lot higher than it actually is. Which I suppose is the fault of us in the political press for doing a poor job explaining.

Maybe I should switch jobs with Howard Kurtz.