Guardian writer defends its ideological stance

We have just done a presentation as part our journalism issues module examining whether quality newspapers seperate fact and opinion.

I had the Guardian to look at and on the whole gave it a good mark for being a purveyor of fact and balance whilst keeping its comment section distinct.

Its greatest failing was the agenda that it persued on its front page choosing topics that editorially would set the news agenda.

On the same subject,Jackie Ashley, one of its weekly opinion writers asks Are the Guardianistas rats?
She writes that

One of the sharpest commentators in the Times, David Aaronovitch, once of this parish, has had a serious go at his former colleagues today for, in essence, being a crowd of treacherous monkeys. The Guardianistas, he says, once boosted Brown because they were cross about Blair. Now he faces tough choices, instead of trying to explain them, we turn tail and leave him to sink.

and argues that

Ideological purity should be saved for sects. A newspaper should be a conversation, even a daily argument. I have absolutely no idea what the true core view of this one is, except that it is clearly left of centre and vaguely progressive