Conservative bias
Conservative bias in media is demonstrated with factually substantiated examples of reportage and editorials which demonstrate bias in favor of conservative or right wing views. Non-partisans, liberals and progressives reference conservative bias by citing examples from such sources as Media Matters for America, Fair, Pipa and other media watchdog groups; blogs, such as Talking Points Memo by Josh Marshal and reports from Air America Radio and journalists such as Salon.com's Joe Conason. In some cases the owership of the media outlets is called into question, such as Rupert Murdoch's Fox Network, other times reference is made to Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and other such popular rightist pundits. At times reporters are mentioned, such as Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Judith Miller of the New York Times who made exensive use of unnamed sources when reporting on President Bush's arguments in favor of military action against Iraq, in his assertions that Iraq possessed Weapons of mass distruction which posed an immediate threat to the U.S. and Europe. Some observers of conservative bias cite examples of press coverage from the terms of president Bill Clinton with that of, for example, Ronald Reagan who as known as the Teflon president[1]. Critics of conservative bias in media often point, explicitly or by example, to right wing pundits' and reports' deviations from Journalistic ethics and standards.
- Contast with Liberal bias, Advocacy journalism
Examples/Sources
- Eric Alterman, author of What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News is one of those who argues against any significant liberal bias. Reviewer John Moe sums up Alterman's views:
- "The conservatives in the newspapers, television, talk radio, and the Republican party are lying about liberal bias and repeating the same lies long enough that they've taken on a patina of truth. Further, the perception of such a bias has cowed many media outlets into presenting more conservative opinions to counterbalance a bias, which does not, in fact, exist." [2]
- Media Imperialism is a critical theory regarding the perceived effects of globalization on the world's media. It is closely tied to the similar theory of cultural imperialism.
- "As multinational media conglomerates grow larger and more powerful many believe that it will become increasingly difficult for small, local media outlets to survive. A new type of imperialism will thus occur, making many nations subsidiary to the media products of some of the most powerful countries or companies. Significant writers and thinkers in this area include Ben Bagdikian, Noam Chomsky, Edward S. Herman and Robert McChesney."
- Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media,a book by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky.
- ..."the pressure to create a stable, profitable business invariably distorts the kinds of news items reported, as well as the manner and emphasis in which they are reported. This occurs not as a result of conscious design but simply as a consequence of market selection: those businesses who happen to favor profits over news quality survive, while those that present a more accurate picture of the world tend to become marginalized."
External links
- Non-partisan
- Pew Research Center For the People and the Press (non-partisan organization studying attitudes towards the press)
- Progressive
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (media watchdog group with more progressive point of view, analysis of conservative media bias.)
- The Myth of the Liberal Media - A lengthy Bartcop article about individuals involved in anti-liberal media efforts.
- Media Matters (Research and analysis of conservative misinformation and bias)
- Conservative
- Media Research Center (conservative site dealing with liberal bias)
- Fairpress.org - Citizens Coalition for Responsible Media (conservative site dealing with liberal bias)