Why does the Beltway press seem so reluctant to tell the truth about Obama's approval rating?

Earlier this year, the narrative revolved around the GOP-friendly claim about Obama's “falling polling numbers,” when in fact they weren't really falling. And more recently, major media outlets seem to go out of their way to downplay occasional good news for the president.

Take the latest results from the Washington Post/ABC News poll, in which Obama's approval rating enjoyed a healthy month-to-month bump up from 46 percent to 50 percent, while his disapproval rating dropped from 52 percent to 47 percent. Combined, that's a significant 9-point swing in 30 days. But the Post leaves all that information out.

Here's the only mention of Obama's rating in the entire Post article:

President Obama's approval rating has rebounded to where it was in July after hitting an all-time low a month ago.

Nowhere in the article does the newspaper report that the president's approval rating now stands at a solid 50 percent.