I too will bite . . . as a journalist (just a plain ole country editor from a small town weekly newspaper
), the press is one component in the debate process, and the national media (think CNN, FOX, MSNBC) thrive on the crisis du jour. But journalists are primarily the messenger and the "news" is usually initiated by other parties.
The reason the press has the power that it does to shape public opinion is because we are conduits to large segments of the public, and our power is our ability to sway that opinion.
The power brokers understand that as messengers, journalists are seldom equipped to fully understand the subjects they report on. Therefore it is easy to manipulate the process.
It is our job as journalists, and especially editors, is to guard against that manipulation, to make sure the reporters verify facts and work to present as many aspects of a subject as possible. With something as complex as global warming, the media is manipulated by the sources and their reports are only as viable as the sources they have access to. Add to that the tendancy for editors, publishers, and producers to have their own bias.
The public paints the bias in the media with a very broad brush. The bias exists on the individual basis -- we all have our own opinions on which way our favorite newscaster, or local paper leans. To counter that requires the public gather information from a wide variety of sources (just as I instruct my reporters) and not a single network, blog, website, or publication.
PS -- Please do not lump the "press" together. Broadcast news is a very different beast than print news (my second generation newspaper roots showing!
)