Biased reporting: the foundation of the US?

So said Chris Matthews in a discussion with the former Wonkette, Ana Marie Cox. Even allowing for some inaccuracies in Matthews' rendition of history, the fact remains that the press of 1776 and 1787 wore its partisan credentials openly, like National Review, The Weekly Standard, The Nation and The New Republic do today. The 1700s press did not proclaim its objectivity and then blatantly spin the news (see: Times, New York). In other words, the media did not dupe its audience 220-240 years ago. Too bad it does so now.