Imbalance in US TV Media Coverage of Greenhouse Gas Regulation

[GIGObuster]

Via Skeptical Science.

No, this is not a discussion on global warming, the focus is the even older affirmation from many right wingers that mainstream media is liberal.

Many times I have made the point that if the mainstream media was liberal you would see them following the advice of important liberals in the USA, as it is, this item of the media covering the Greenhouse Gas Regulation that is being done by the EPA would be a good test to see what would the “liberal media” do.

Imbalance in US TV Media Coverage of Greenhouse Gas Regulation

Media Misrepresentation

Unfortunately, those who rely on the US television media for their information may be unaware of the widespread consensus in favor of regulating and/or pricing carbon emissions. A new Media Matters report analyzed television news guests who discussed the EPA’s role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions from December 2009 through April 2011 on the major US news networks: Fox News (FNC), Fox Business Network (FBN), MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, and on the nightly and/or Sunday news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox Broadcasting Co.

The results of this analysis are rather disturbing. During the period in question, 199 guests on the analyzed networks discussed EPA regulation of greenhouse gases. 152 of these (over 76%) opposed the regulations, 35 (less than 18%) supported them, and 12 (6%) were neutral (Figure 2).

Before we lay all of the blame on Fox, while the network and its affiliates are responsible for a large proportion of the imbalance in question, there also appears to be a failure amongst other networks to adequately cover the subject. For example, CNN – which strives to be the neutral voice between conservative Fox News and liberal MSNBC – only interviewed four guests on the subject during the period in review, three of which opposed the regulations. The problem is both over-representation of the “skeptics”, and under-representation of those supporting the proposed climate solutions, and especially an under-representation of climate experts (both scientific and economic).

We urge the media to both stop manufacturing controversy, and adequately and accurately cover this critical issue. The only way our populace can make good decisions is if they are informed decisions.

Well, I would say that that does not make sense if the media was liberal, or more reality based. I still say that in reality mainstream media in the USA does follow more closely the biases of the corporations they belong to.