Liberal Bias in the Media

Not necessarily. You don't have to say "BUSH BAD OBAMA GOOD" in the article to be biased. You wouldn't even have to lie.

There can be bias in what you choose to report or not report. For example, if high gas prices got more attention in 2008 than in 2012, that could be liberal bias. (Don't know if that's the case, but if it is, it would be bias.)

There can be bias in word choices, like if you refer to a conservative group as "right wing" and a liberal group as "activist" or "watchdog". Switch those and you'd have a conservative bias.

There can be bias in the focus of the coverage. We keep hearing about the falling unemployment rate but not so much about the labor force participation rate. I also remember hearing how bad the economy really was several years ago when the "official" unemployment rate was in the 5-6% range.

I've seen a few "news" articles that claimed Obamacare was the achievement progressives had been seeking since Teddy Roosevelt...now that might be a bad example because it's an out and out lie, but it's still favoring one side over the other.

Left/right isn't the only bias. There's a huge racial bias in national news coverage--missing people only matter if they're young white women. If you got all of your information from your local news, you'd think all black people were violent felons.

Sure, there's any number of small biases. But does that add up to a liberal bias as a whole? On the NBC Nightly News Brian Williams does anti-abortion activism from the anchor desk. Frequently. Is he liberal biased? Does the press take conservative economic claims and analyze them, or repeat them as though fact? A lack of any bias would say "Gingrich claims his tax cuts would create jobs, even though the Bush and Reagan tax cuts never created any jobs in the past." A conservative bias would say "Gingrich claims his tax cuts would create jobs." A liberal bias would say "Gingrich claims his tax cuts would create jobs but in fact will only redistribute wealth and run up the deficits." Or something to that effect.

And therein is the point. There's very very little that the press reports that can be said to be demonstrating a liberal point of view, much less bias. It just isn't findable. The mainstream press is far more neutral in the favor conservative truthiness than it is just neutral.
 
The thing I like best is the accused liberal bias in academia. All the educated people want to indoctrinate our children! Oh crap!
You do realize this makes no sense...
Certain professions tend to attract different mind sets, this is pretty factual. The military, by and large, will be conservative.
Journalism, higher education, liberal...

Anyhow, if those in higher education are a threat it is only to those unable to think for themselves.
 
Oh, okay. Let's just not pretend I asserted those things. :)
 
Oh, okay. Let's just not pretend I asserted those things. :)

Well, if we make certain assumptions about your original post, you have a huge liberal bias.
IIRC you once expressed an opinion that was definetly "liberal" - confirmation of your bias.

I can also cite you for selection bias, since you didn't write about what *I* think is important.

You're a horrible person and - sources say - probably eat puppies.

"Ah!" you say, "Now you're being biased."

OK. So we're both biased. But everyone is biased to some degree.

Oh, now you want to talk about the degree? More selection bias.
You're really digging yourself into a hole here.

And don't talk to me about any so called "putting words in your mouth." Don't censor me! And, anyway, that sort of prejudicial accusation is exactly what first revealed the extent of your bias.
 
It's an illiberal bias. When was the last time a reporter suggested people be left to handle their own affairs rather than having the government come in and step on them?*

A new computer virus? Why doesn't the government stop it?
Janet Jackson's nipple on TV? Why doesn't the FCC revoke their broadcasting license?
Payday loans charging high interest rates? Why doesn't the government cap the rates?
Japanese cars outselling GM? Why doesn't the government put on a tariff?

*John Stossel doesn't count.

When was the last time any of these were actually suggested? (Except for the payday loans; that one I actually believe)
 
Please discuss the perceived notion of a liberal bias in today's media.

(redirecting a discussion that started in another thread that is not about liberal bias in the media...)

It virtually doesn't exist. The people who complain about their perceived liberal bias are so far to the right they practically fall off the scale. Hitler isn't far enough right for them. In short, their frame of reference is so screwed up EVERYTHING seems liberal to them and even if they went back to 1700 they'd be whining about supposed liberal bias in that media. They're just nuts.
 
like them or not, HERE are the statistics.....this is old news....
 
Given the incredibly small number of liberals in the United States, I can't imagine such a bias could take route in commercially successful media.
 
It virtually doesn't exist. The people who complain about their perceived liberal bias are so far to the right they practically fall off the scale. Hitler isn't far enough right for them. In short, their frame of reference is so screwed up EVERYTHING seems liberal to them and even if they went back to 1700 they'd be whining about supposed liberal bias in that media. They're just nuts.

That's like saying people who complain about Fox news being too conservative are ultra-liberals who are so screwed up they are too left-wing for Karl Marx.

Just because the people who complain about it are right-wing doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The same goes for anyone who complains about political bias in the media. I'm conservative, but I won't hesitate to admit that both Fox and CBS have a political bias. One of my college professors (an admitted lefty) even brought up that the mainstream media has a liberal bias. Don't be so quick to call someone giving an opinion "nuts".

That being said, there is certainly a liberal bias present in the media, notably the major news networks. Look at how they portrayed Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party movements. It's tough to look at that and deny a liberal bias.
 
When was the last time any of these were actually suggested? (Except for the payday loans; that one I actually believe)
It is in the subtext and the sensational style of reporting. While the reporters don't get to say what they believe, I think if they could it would be more honest than pretending to not have an agenda and officially having no editorial control over their content.
 
It is in the subtext and the sensational style of reporting. While the reporters don't get to say what they believe, I think if they could it would be more honest than pretending to not have an agenda and officially having no editorial control over their content.

Hear hear. :goodjob:
 
It is in the subtext and the sensational style of reporting. While the reporters don't get to say what they believe, I think if they could it would be more honest than pretending to not have an agenda and officially having no editorial control over their content.

I don't recall those questions actually being asked though. Like with the nipple thing.. I never heard anyone complain about the airing of it; when the discussion ventured past 'OMG nipples!' it was mostly criticism of Jackson
 
like them or not, HERE are the statistics.....this is old news....

That's relative to US politicians, who are world renowned for being among the most conservative people on the planet.
 
That's relative to US politicians, who are world renowned for being among the most conservative people on the planet.
Well, relatively, we are talking about US mainstream media being biased, it might not explicitly state that in the OP, but that is where the conversation spun from...

@ Useless... I hope you saw this:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm

Someone else went to find the "proof" you were demanded... I didn't really care to spend the time, I knew it existed, didn't matter if that was accepted by others, I am not on a crusade to prove everything I say is true when it is pretty blatantly obvious... but there you go if you missed it.
 
I wonder, if there's a liberal bias in the media, why don't conservatives put up their own news papers, which wouldn't have it?

EDIT: noticed that this sounded a bit like trollin. My point was: if there's about as much republicans and democrats, and there's at least no reason to believe that republicans have less money than democrats, then why they wouldn't have as much influence in media?
 
I wonder, if there's a liberal bias in the media, why don't conservatives put up their own news papers, which wouldn't have it?

EDIT: noticed that this sounded a bit like trollin. My point was: if there's about as much republicans and democrats, and there's at least no reason to believe that republicans have less money than democrats, then why they wouldn't have as much influence in media?
They do... there is the "other media", which is actually getting big...

It's Foxnews, Washington Times, Washington Post, and talk radio in general is heavily republican slanted... also the internets tends to be conservative (in America anyhow)... books are another area where conservatives have had success.
 
kochman said:
@ Useless... I hope you saw this:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm

Someone else went to find the "proof" you were demanded... I didn't really care to spend the time, I knew it existed, didn't matter if that was accepted by others, I am not on a crusade to prove everything I say is true when it is pretty blatantly obvious... but there you go if you missed it.

Did you read that paper? It's not great. It defines the center as the average American voter, so the center is already right-shifted.
 
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