Liberal Bias...Bias? The media isn't on Obama's side...

JerichoHill

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Very interesting finding from the oft-quoted Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. Here's the results.


The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.

During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative. Obama has gotten twice as much coverage than McCain, generally speaking.

Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center.

It used to be the media was more pro-Obama

That was a reversal of the trend during the primaries, when the same researchers found that 64% of statements about Obama -- new to the political spotlight -- were positive, but just 43% of statements about McCain were positive.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-onthemedia27-2008jul27,0,6802141.story?page=2

Italicized comments are mine.
 
What did you expect from a study from a UNIVERSITY?? Liberals leading liberals....
 
It used to be the media was more pro-Obama

That was a reversal of the trend during the primaries, when the same researchers found that 64% of statements about Obama -- new to the political spotlight -- were positive, but just 43% of statements about McCain were positive.

It surely wouldn't have anything to do with the recent liberal uproar with Obama signing a specific telecom immunity bill would it? Nah, currently events couldn't have the possibility to shift opinion. Not a chance.
 
I think Lou Dobbs predicted way back that Obama was going to win, and that's why he's being so hostile. It cements his 'anti-establishment reporting' schtick.
 
What did you expect from a study from a UNIVERSITY?? Liberals leading liberals....

Oh yeah. George Mason University...that bastion of lib...libertarianism...
 
Even if statistically the media wasn't on Obama's side, as long as the perception exists that the media is pro-Obama, then that's how people are going to act.
 
It surely wouldn't have anything to do with the recent liberal uproar with Obama signing a specific telecom immunity bill would it? Nah, currently events couldn't have the possibility to shift opinion. Not a chance.

Nope, it was for what, the period immediately after the Dem Primary ended. That uproar hasn't been going that whole time.

I love the absolute no-sell from imperfect in the face of actual evidence.
 
It surely wouldn't have anything to do with the recent liberal uproar with Obama signing a specific telecom immunity bill would it? Nah, currently events couldn't have the possibility to shift opinion. Not a chance.

Article states the stats are from "first six weeks" of General election campaign.

I think the campaign technically started the first week of June, with the wiretap immunity bill stuff breaking at the beginning of July, so that is about 4 weeks where you cannot rely on your hypothesis as an adequate explanation for the stats.

Also what you're talking about is public opinion - media slant is a different measurement.

edit: Jhill beat me to it.
 
Nope, it was for what, the period immediately after the Dem Primary ended. That uproar hasn't been going that whole time.

I love the absolute no-sell from imperfect in the face of actual evidence.

Article states the stats are from "first six weeks" of General election campaign.

I think the campaign technically started the first week of June, with the wiretap immunity bill stuff breaking at the beginning of July, so that is about 4 weeks where you cannot rely on your hypothesis as an adequate explanation for the stats.

Also what you're talking about is public opinion - media slant is a different measurement.

edit: Jhill beat me to it.

But that was not the only thing. There was the campaign finance reform, the Israel-Palestinian policy, and a myriad of stuff where he did a 180 degree turn on right after he won the nomination. Get those data points in too.

There is also the tendency for the media to want to take down the front-runner when that front-runner's story gets old.
 
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