# Poll: Americans want "more patriotic media coverage." What does this mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477 "2003-07-14T21:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477/21 "2003-07-15T21:26:13Z")
Anybody who wants to know what the Pew poll results actually were and derive his/her opinions accordingly (rather than launching into a diatribe about how foolish and gullible Americans are) can check out the findings [here](http://www.people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=188). Among other things, the poll report states: _“Seven-in-ten Americans see it as a good thing when news organizations take a “strong pro-American point of view.” However, when asked specifically if it is better for coverage of the war on terrorism to be neutral or pro-American, fully 64% favor neutral coverage. And these views are largely unrelated. Even most of those who see a pro-American point of view as a good thing favor neutral war coverage (62%).”_ Sort of confusing, isn’t it? Does this mean that most people want the idea (based on statements in interviews or editorials) that their news hosts and correspondents are patriotic, but prefer actual news reporting to be straightforward without bias? Hard to tell. Other poll results indicated that younger people were somewhat more prone to want “patriotic” news media than older people. And while nearly two-thirds of Republicans felt there was liberal media bias, most Democrats who felt there was a bias (41%) also thought that the tilt was toward liberal attitudes (33% argued that there was conservative bias). ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477/22 "2003-07-16T06:32:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > Does this mean that most people want the idea (based on statements in interviews or editorials) that their news hosts and correspondents are patriotic, but prefer actual news reporting to be straightforward without bias? Hard to tell. Cognitive dissonance. The left (logical) side of the brain wants neutral, fact-based reporting, while the right (emotional) side of the brain wants feel-good, warm-n-fuzzy rah-rah patriotic jingoism. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477/23 "2003-07-16T13:25:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*Wouldn’t it be better if 75% of the media were in favour of what 75% of the reporters and editors were in favour of? I’m skittish about anything that takes journalistic control out of the hands of journalists, even if it is a good-intentioned attempt (and we know where _those_ lead) at creating fairness. \*\* Well, 75% of the media is always going to be in favor of what 75% of the reporters and editors are in favor of. I am not suggesting that the media loses any journalistic control in the interests of creating fairness. It simply wouldn’t work. I am just bemoaning the fact that the makup of the media isn’t representative of the makup of the US population at large. Having a media that is made up mostly of liberals is the same as if our congress was made up mostly of liberals. Great if your a liberal, but not so great for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477/24 "2003-07-16T15:03:27Z")
**"What does the American public want or expect from its media? Is it necessarily the truth?"** Truth would be a good start. One of the most blatant examples of bias, spin, mis-representation, and falsehood came out the day of the _Lawrence_ SCOTUS decision. The AP quoted Scalia as saying, “I have nothing against homosexuals”, terminology righteously deserving of scorn. And indeed, many Dopers were indignant upon hearing this. But it turns out that that was a case of selective quoting. Scalia actually said, “Let me be clear that I have nothing against homosexuals, or any other group, promoting their agenda through normal democratic means.” See how different the tone of the quote is from what he actually said? And this isn’t World Net Daily, here. This is a wire service story. News organizations all over the planet pick up this and report it, I understand, trusting these reports to be factually accurate. You think the AP isn’t aware of its own reach & influence? But, as **skweels** and others observe, they aren’t accountable to anyone but themselves. Yet when this self-accountability fails, those who point it out are derided as right-wing media-bashers. By the media. And you wonder why the average citizen ( **skweels** ’s “unwashed masses” - thanks so much for that) is increasingly distrustful of the large media outlets? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477/25 "2003-07-16T17:37:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Debaser \* > \*\*Well, 75% of the media is always going to be in favor of what 75% of the reporters and editors are in favor of. > > I am not suggesting that the media loses any journalistic control in the interests of creating fairness. It simply wouldn’t work. > > I am just bemoaning the fact that the makup of the media isn’t representative of the makup of the US population at large. Having a media that is made up mostly of liberals is the same as if our congress was made up mostly of liberals. Great if your a liberal, but not so great for the rest of us. \*\* Well, in that case, be my guest. Bemoan your little heart out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-americans-want-more-patriotic-media-coverage-what-does-this-mean/188477.md?page=1)