I think there's a big confusion in a lot of this discussion between bias and general rationality. The Economist has a much more rational, well-thought-out point of view than most American newspapers and periodicals, but it's also a very ideological one, and while reading it one should be trying to consider ways that the facts presented could lead to different conclusions which the editors would not be promoting.
I ultimately agree that this is a much better place to be in than trying to publish irrational but "unbiased" news, however.
