Even a liberal reporter is a patriot, wants the best for this country. And people, your fair and balanced friends at Fox, don’t fully understand that.

Wallace’s remark pushes back against the idea—common in partisan media critiques—that journalists with “liberal” views are inherently anti-American. He asserts a distinction between ideological orientation and civic loyalty: a reporter can be skeptical of government, critical of policy, or culturally liberal while still being motivated by patriotism and a desire for the country’s well-being. The jab at Fox’s “fair and balanced” slogan suggests he believed some commentators misread adversarial reporting as hostility rather than a democratic function. In this framing, journalism’s duty is not to affirm power but to test it, and that scrutiny can be an expression of national commitment rather than betrayal.