# 'Liberal Media Bias' (in US). **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 4, 2012, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788 "2012-04-04T07:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/1 "2012-04-04T07:32:38Z")
I was wondering if there really is liberal media bias in the dominant US medias. I know that is what the, well, to be blunt, conservatives say. Has any definitive study been done on the matter? I know I starting thinking about it recently when I saw [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_media) and [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_media_bias#Claims_of_a_liberal_bias) Wikipedia article. (The last one also has a counterargument that follows.) My personal belief, FWIW, is _ **No** _. US media is controlled by corporations. So why would it be “_liberal_”? Oh, sure some of anchors might feel that with all their power and influence, it is their responsiblity to be fair. And maybe it gives them a feeling of social justice too, who knows. And yes, there are those occassions when they say things like “gay bashing is wrong”, which I guess may seem out-of-the-mainstream to some conservatives. But the whole institution liberal? I don’t think so. What do the rest of you think:)? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/2 "2012-04-04T07:50:49Z")
Well, you see, the way this works is that newspapers and TV stations are owned or controlled, of course, by rich people. But EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE RICH PEOPLE finds himself mysteriously unable to control the content of his media–no matter what the boss decrees or how often he fires the pesky liberal writers and editors, they keep returning, like cockroaches. No rich boss has ever found a way to sneak a staffer with moderate or conservative views onto any media he owns, so this travesty continues unabated to this day. It’s a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/3 "2012-04-04T07:56:45Z")
Modern conservatives swear that the New York Times is a bastion of the liberal media. The New York Times is second only to the Wall Street Journal in their coverage of business and financial markets. Their editorial page basically never sides with a union during a strike. And conservatives insist that it is scarily liberal. Hilarious. Furthermore, the reporters at the Times are some of the biggest panderers to today’s conservative and super-sensitive disposition. If the Republicans said the earth was flat, the New York Times would report, “Opinions on the shape of the earth differ…” A good example is their treatment of the filibuster. They routinely mangle history and the constitution by referring to the “60 votes required for passage” in the Senate. No. Sixty votes have been required to bring a bill up to vote only recently, and almost entirely due to Republican pressures. Even 5 years ago cloture votes weren’t as routine as they are now. And check out conservative websites devoted to media criticism. They critique _bias_ which translated means, “Our feeling were hurt”. The liberal Media Matters for America, in contrast, documents conservatives who consistently screw up their _facts_, make claims that are both highly dubious and moreover wholly unsubstantiated and, yes, reveal bigotry. The nature of the critique from the 2 sides is very different. But I welcome wild eyed claims about big liberal media conspiracies. They reveal the derangement of the speaker and their qualifications for serious discussion. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/4 "2012-04-04T08:59:56Z")
Wasn’t there a study done in the early 90’s showing that about 92% of media types voted for Clinton? Now that doesn’t prove bias since all good journalists can put their personal feelings aside and report right down the middle…right? It’s kind of funny that no study like that has appeared since…that I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/5 "2012-04-04T09:11:44Z")
I’ve watched two enjoyable documentaries espousing the opposite effect - Manufacturing Consent and Orwell Rolls in His Grave. They discussed studies such as the [following too](http://www.allamericanblogger.com/71/journalists-and-democrats/). ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/6 "2012-04-04T09:47:24Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Wasn’t there a study done in the early 90’s showing that about 92% of media types voted for Clinton? > > Now that doesn’t prove bias since all good journalists can put their personal feelings aside and report right down the middle…right? > > It’s kind of funny that no study like that has appeared since…that I’m aware of. Still kind of mystified about the exact meaning of the term ‘Liberal’ in american parlance. But is Clinton considered a Democrat or a Liberal or are all democrats liberals? I thought liberals were supposed to be even more radical than democrats. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/7 "2012-04-04T11:19:11Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I was wondering if there really is liberal media bias in the dominant US medias. I know that is what the, well, to be blunt, conservatives say. Has any definitive study been done on the matter? Yes, it has been studied, many, many times. Some arehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media\_bias#Scholarly\_treatment\_of\_media\_bias\_in\_the\_United\_States\_and\_United\_Kingdom"] here. Whether or not such studies are “definitive” is in the eyes of the beholder. The consensus of most is that yes, there is some element of bias, and yes, it is liberal. My own sense it that, as the Kuypers study found, there is a “narrow range of liberal beliefs” that are favored. If you’re a strong progressive, to you it looks like the media are to your right, because they are. But they are still to the left of the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/8 "2012-04-04T11:36:18Z")
The perception of liberal media bias by conservatives appears to be rooted in oversensitivity to criticism. A media outlet may be completely balanced, doling out criticism to conservatives and liberals alike, but conservatives only see the shit being flicked their way, so that outlet is labelled “biased”. Anyone criticizing conservatives is biased. I am reminded of that scene from _Catch-22_: > [@](#): > > [_ **Yossarian** _](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000273/): Those bastards are trying to kill me. > > \*[COLOR=black] **Milo** \*: No one is trying to kill you sweetheart. Now eat your dessert like a good boy.[/COLOR] > > _[**[COLOR=black]Yossarian**](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000273/)_: Oh yeah? Then why are they shooting at me Milo? > > _[**Dobbs**](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000640/)_ **:** They’re shooting at everyone Yossarian. > > _[**Yossarian**](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000273/)_ **:** And what difference does that make?[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/9 "2012-04-04T11:40:31Z")
There may some correlation between ability to construct a sentence and ability to view the world with some semblence of rationality operating here, as well. (Sez the professional writer and resident radical.) IOW, what you’re asking about concerns the de-centering of the political spectrum by right-wing lunatics, so that accepting stuff and nonsense becomes a litmus test–anyone who dares question some of their most sacred truths (Laffer Curve, inferiority of blacks, Obamacare=hardcore Soviet policies, etc.) is labelled a left-wing lunatic. Thus, a perfectly neutral, moderate journalist gets tarred as being a left-wing extremist. Q.E.D. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/10 "2012-04-04T11:57:08Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Wasn’t there a study done in the early 90’s showing that about 92% of media types voted for Clinton? > > Now that doesn’t prove bias since all good journalists can put their personal feelings aside and report right down the middle…right? > > It’s kind of funny that no study like that has appeared since…that I’m aware of. A very biased study itself, as I understand. It canvassed practically none of the conservative media, ignored a lot of large media, and included a very large number of small-town and small-city newspapers, thereby giving them as much clout as major outlets. Eric Alterman wrote his book _What Liberal Media?_ in 2003 as a counterblast to accusations of liberal bias in books such as Bernard Goldberg’s _Bias_. He talks about that study at some length: [http://www.thenation.com/article/what-liberal-media](http://www.thenation.com/article/what-liberal-media) > **[What Liberal Media?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Liberal_Media%3F)** > > What Liberal Media?: The Truth About Bias and the News is a book by columnist Eric Alterman that challenges the widespread conservative belief in a liberal media bias. Alterman argues that the media, as a whole, is not biased liberally, but conservatively. > The Los Angeles Times called the book, "A well-documented, even-tempered and witty answer, I might say antidote, to such toxic recent bestsellers as Bernard Goldberg's 'Bias.'" > Ted Widmer of the New York Times Book Review said "'What Liberal ... ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/11 "2012-04-04T12:00:57Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The perception of liberal media bias by conservatives appears to be rooted in oversensitivity to criticism. A media outlet may be completely balanced, doling out criticism to conservatives and liberals alike, but conservatives only see the shit being flicked their way, so that outlet is labelled “biased”. Anyone criticizing conservatives is biased. Also you have to consider confirmation bias - if you’re a conservative of a particular dogmatic variety (or pandering to such) you will view media coverage thusly: Conservative things/people shown in a good light: Truth Liberal things/people shown in a good light: Liberal bias Conservative things/people shown in a bad light: Liberal bias Liberal things/people shown in a bad light: Truth Liberals are of course subject to the same, although IME liberals are less likely to automatically assume that liberal things/people being shown in a bad light is down to conservative bias. Liberals can be so insecure like that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/12 "2012-04-04T12:01:20Z")
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on it, by the way: > [@](#): > > Claims of a liberal bias > > Liberal bias in the media occurs when liberal ideas have undue influence on the coverage or selection of news stories. > > Conservative critics of the media say some bias exists within a wide variety of media channels including network news shows of CBS, ABC, and NBC, cable channels CNN and MSNBC, as well as major newspapers, news-wires, and radio outlets, especially CBS News, Newsweek, and the New York Times.[16] These arguments intensified when it was revealed that the Democratic Party received a total donation of $1,020,816, given by 1,160 employees of the three major broadcast television networks (NBC, CBS, ABC), while the Republican Party received only $142,863 via 193 donations.[17] Both of these figures represent donations made in 2008. > > A study cited frequently by critics of a “liberal media bias” in American journalism is The Media Elite, a 1986 book co-authored by political scientists Robert Lichter, Stanley Rothman, and Linda Lichter.[18] They surveyed journalists at national media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the broadcast networks. The survey found that most of these journalists were Democratic voters whose attitudes were well to the left of the general public on a variety of topics, including such hot-button social issues as abortion, affirmative action, and gay rights. Then they compared journalists’ attitudes to their coverage of controversial issues such as the safety of nuclear power, school busing to promote racial integration, and the energy crisis of the 1970s. The authors concluded that journalists’ coverage of controversial issues reflected their own attitudes, and the predominance of political liberals in newsrooms therefore pushed news coverage in a liberal direction. They presented this tilt as a mostly unconscious process of like-minded individuals projecting their shared assumptions onto their interpretations of reality. > > In a survey conducted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1997, 61% of reporters stated that they were members of or shared the beliefs of the Democratic Party. Only 15% say their beliefs were best represented by the Republican Party.[19] This leaves 24% undecided or Independent. > > A 2002 study by Jim A. Kuypers of Dartmouth College, Press Bias and Politics, investigated the issue of media bias. In this study of 116 mainstream US papers, including The New York Times, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle, Kuypers stated that the mainstream press in America tends to favor liberal viewpoints.[20] They claimed that reporters who they thought were expressing moderate or conservative points of view were often labeled as holding a minority point of view.[20] Kuypers said he found liberal bias in reporting a variety of issues including race, welfare reform, environmental protection, and gun control.[20] > > A joint study by the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University and the Project for Excellence in Journalism found that viewers believe that liberal media bias can be found in television news by networks such as CNN.[21] These findings concerning a perception of liberal bias in television news – particularly at CNN – are also reported by other sources.[22] > > [edit] Criticism of claims of liberal bias > > However, scholars Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman claim the logic in of some of these conclusions is flawed. They state that comparing the media product to the voting record of the journalists is akin to thinking auto-factory workers design the cars they help produce. Indeed, they claim that the media owners and news makers are the ones with an agenda, and they assert that this agenda is subordinated to corporate interests that they view as often leaning right.[23] > > A report “Examining the ‘Liberal Media’ Claim: Journalists’ Views on Politics, Economic Policy and Media Coverage” by David Croteau, from 1998, calls into question the assumption that journalists’ views are to the left of center in America. The findings were that journalists were “mostly centrist in their political orientation” and more conservative than the general public on economic issues (with a minority being more progressive than the general public on social issues).[24] > **[Media bias in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias_in_the_United_States)** > > The history of media bias in the United States has evolved from overtly partisan newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries to professional journalism with ethical standards in the 20th century. Early newspapers often reflected the views of their publishers, with competing papers presenting differing opinions. Government interventions, such as the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and press suppression during the Civil War, demonstrated tensions between political authorities and the media. > Throu... ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/13 "2012-04-04T12:53:20Z")
**Bricker** came up with an informative [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321995&highlight=Bias) on how the SDMB in particular can deny something as obvious as the MSM’s liberal bias. But yes, it has been [studied](http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/Media-Bias-Is-Real-Finds-UCLA-6664.aspx?RelNum=6664). Most of the discussion on the topic on the SDMB boils down to the fact that the SDMB is so far to the left that the MSM looks conservative to them. Add a good big dose of selective perception, a smidgen of special pleading, frost with denial, and mix well. Serves about half the SDMB. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/14 "2012-04-04T13:10:26Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Most of the discussion on the topic on the SDMB boils down to the fact that the SDMB is so far to the left that the MSM looks conservative to them. The above statement is definitely explained by the below one. > [@](#): > > Add a good big dose of selective perception, a smidgen of special pleading, frost with denial, and mix well. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/15 "2012-04-04T13:20:57Z")
I have not found most of these studies particularly convincing. I don’t have a ton of time at the moment, but I’ll see if any of these linked are what I’m thinking of (or if I can find it on my own again), but the one study that came close to making an interesting case used a very curious metric to establish that the media had a liberal bias. It decided that _the makeup of congress_ and its voting record would be “mainstream.” It found a number of publications to be quite liberal, including some traditional bastions of republitypes. I thought it was a metric I could get behind, because it sounded reasonably objective and repeatable. The only problem was that _journalists are broadly responsible for covering issues around the whole world, and most of the world we want to hear about on the news is either going to be very liberal compared to us or a hellhole._ Then it is no surprise that the media would show bias: they’d have to, if they’re doing their job correctly. I mean, why don’t we say that the media is fair, but the american population is rabidly right-wing? (Some do, some do.) So, yeah, not really impressed. Most of the other metrics I’ve heard of smell to me of bible codes more than science. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/16 "2012-04-04T13:40:29Z")
> [@erislover](#): > > I have not found most of these studies particularly convincing. I don’t have a ton of time at the moment, but I’ll see if any of these linked are what I’m thinking of (or if I can find it on my own again), but the one study that came close to making an interesting case used a very curious metric to establish that the media had a liberal bias. It decided that _the makeup of congress_ and its voting record would be “mainstream.” It found a number of publications to be quite liberal, including some traditional bastions of republitypes. It may be the one **Shodan** linked to, which mentions (for example) that the CBS Evening News and New York Times both scored approximately the same number of Fonda units (or whatever unit of measure they used) as Sen. Joe Lieberman, who’s apparently considered quite the lefty liberal…(?) So yes, I think skepticism is warranted, although it is nice that at least _one_ study exists that “liberal media” Cassandras can point to as evidence. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/17 "2012-04-04T13:46:48Z")
> [@Latro](#): > > Still kind of mystified about the exact meaning of the term ‘Liberal’ in american parlance. “Liberal” in American politico speak is used to characterize a candidate as: [ul] [li]Favoring the rights of criminals over their victims[/li][li]Soft on crime in general[/li][li]Pandering to women, gays and minorities (who are trying to steal your jobs)[/li][li]Favoring socialist policies (typically taxing hard working people to pay for meth toting 3rd generation welfare cases)[/li][li]Anti-business [/li][li]Probably uses drugs[/li][li]Generally flakey, niave and just fucking weird.[/li][/ul] OTOH, “Conservative” is used to characterize someone as: [ul] [li]Gun nut[/li][li]Fascist[/li][li]Misogynist, homophbbic and racist (basically antinonwhitemaleist)[/li][li]Ruthlessly capitalist[/li][li]Religious fanatic[/li][li]Generally speaking, stupid, uneducated and just fucking dumb[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/18 "2012-04-04T13:51:54Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > “Liberal” in American politico speak is used to characterize a candidate as: You forgot ‘atheist’. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/19 "2012-04-04T14:09:36Z")
Yep, that’s the one. Thanks to **Shodan** and **Vinyl Turnip**. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788/20 "2012-04-04T14:30:58Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Well, you see, the way this works is that newspapers and TV stations are owned or controlled, of course, by rich people. But EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE RICH PEOPLE finds himself mysteriously unable to control the content of his media–no matter what the boss decrees or how often he fires the pesky liberal writers and editors, they keep returning, like cockroaches. No rich boss has ever found a way to sneak a staffer with moderate or conservative views onto any media he owns, so this travesty continues unabated to this day. It’s a mystery. Most rich owners of corporations are more focused on making money than on imposing their policial views on their organizations. In the case of media entities, most top notch journalists are very resistant to owners interfering with the journalistic process, and an attempt by the owners to do this will alienate the professionals and undermine the success of the organization. This is especially so because most media bias is very subtle, and can’t be interfered with other than by heavyhanded micromanaging. Mystery solved. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-media-bias-in-us/617788.md?page=2)