I wonder what would happen if Obama had to face McCain without the News Media in his hip-pocket? Everybody knows the news elitists are incapable of objectivity and this Rammussen report puts the numbers to it. Even the majority of Democrats admit it.
The perception that reporters are advocates rather than observers is held by 82% of Republicans, 56% of Democrats, and 69% of voters not affiliated with either major party.
Given these results, it’s not surprising that 76% of voters believe the media has too much power and influence over elections. Just 3% believe the Fourth Estate has too little influence while 16% say the balance is about right.
Bias is not a problem; nearly uniform bias across the industry in a singular direction is. It becomes propaganda; it becomes elitist-driven social engineering. And it is dangerous to freedom if there are no alternatives; thankfully, the internet can serve as that alternative.
Filed under: Commentary, Election 2008, News, Politics
The fact that more Republicans ‘think’ the media is biased does not prove that it’s biased. What percent of Republicans think that the rapture is around the corner? Or that alien abductions have a grounding in fact? I’d be willing to bet that you’d find significant ‘proof’ in those statistics too.
The internet is the alternative for those of us looking for fresh sources of information. And the internet is great for finding sophisticated analysis far beyond what’s offered in the television media. But sadly, its effectiveness is limited to those who are truly motivated. And these days, while the numbers are growing, it’s still a rather small group.
Good point Mark. It’s too bad that more of the country doesn’t have access to the internet. Yet plans by the FCC to spread free wireless internet across America have failed. I guess equal participation in the national dialogue would be too ’socialist’ for our purist country.
Meh, who needs the parasitic, money grubbing, corporate and government controlled media? We have the power to find the truth right here. I say ignore them–let the b*sta*rds starve or find honest work.
Well there’s a shock, the citizenry thinks the media is biased. What will be the next shocker headline; “Sun to Rise in East Tomorrow”?
Those on the right think it’s biased to the left and vice versa. As stated by the poster above, these are opinions and not fact-based analyses.
The media appears biased, and plenty. But I’m not certain the traditional (yet meaningless) left-right spectrum is the proper measurement scale to help us understand what is going on. I think there are two other spectra that can be more helpful. Those would be the “hardworking-lazy” and the “reality-fantasy” spectra.
Reporters seem to be much lazier than when I was young. Back then, a political news release was considered an element of a story. Now it’s the entire story. But, if you’re lazy and don’t think you need to hew to reality, you can present some hack’s press release and call it a story.
The media appears uniformly biased against hard work and reality. Politically, their biases are less uniform.
I think it balances out in the end, TV has Fox (right leaning), CNN (left leaning) and MSNBC (socialist leaning), while talk radio is almost 100% right dominated, while the left gives us lame crap like Air America. On the internet you can choose to go where you want. You can find what you’re looking for in any of these mediums, it’s just a matter of wanting to find it.
Now, Fooser: factor in all of Network TV New, and the print media (NYT, WaPo, LA Times, Time, NewsWeek, etc.) Being outnumbered about 10 to one isn’t balance; it’s tokenism.
Anyone who watches network TV news to get their news of the day shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
Yeah and print is dying, see: NYT
Are you kidding, Lance? A fair percentage who will vote get their news from things like ‘The View’. And now that Michelle Obama wil be on that (and how is this not a violation of campaign finance laws?), the MSM will lock up that ‘touchy-feely’ segment up for Obama without anyone have to strain the gray matter.
a ’stupid test’ for voters would lead to disenfranchisement that would surpass the pre-emancipation/women’s sufferage days.
Dont mind Lance, he has an anti-democratic streak
[...] Hat Tip: The Political Inquirer [...]
I feel a need to point this out. If TV, print media, educational institutions, etc. are all biased against the conservatives and the Republicans, how did they manage to secure dominance in congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court all at the same time?
I fail to see an extensive liberal / progressive / atheist conspiracy here, especially considering we live in a country where it’s alright to campaign based on your religious affiliation (read: Christianity). Do conservatives want to feel persecuted?
Ryan, because- in 1980, the public rejected the News Media based on a superior ability to communicate a vision by Reagan. In 1994, the congressional vote wasn’t so much a vote for something as a vote against the order of things (thank you, Bill Clinton). Of course, then the GOP pigs started acting like the farmers they supplanted (Animal Farm reference).
However, it takes exceptional ability- or exceptional ineptness- to get the general public to make the effort to reject the News Media message. Especially, since it has been even more unified than ever before since 2000.
Enough with the Myth of the Liberal Media, where was this fantastic creature when BushCo was beating the drums for war?
The problem isn’t the non-existent “Liberal Media”, it’s the all too real existence of the “Trivial Media”.
Blaming media bias in either direction (and a careful, non-anecdotal analysis would probably show a significant bend to the right these days, ancillary to the rise of the Corporate Media) is just the lame excuse of a person unwilling or unable to make a compelling case for their nebulous opinions.
Lamont, I would be most interested in any study that shows the media does not have a heavy leftward bias. I haven’t seen one.
Of course, dating back to the Goldwater years, I’ve been fighting that bias for awhile and it’s always been a given. The weapons of the fight have changed, but it’s always made it a lot harder than the position (normally, but not always, liberal) the Media supports has to face. Not impossible, but harder.
Liberal media picked McCain … there was a breakdown of the coverage leading up to Super Tuesday between Huckabee, McCain, and Romney, and it was pretty gross, I should dig it up