Media bias in news coverage and political reporting

Media Bias

A liberal society is perceived to have no existence without news media that facilitates dissemination of right information to the individuals with a view to make them aware of the pronouncements. At the moment the news media fails to deliver the truth it have distorts the perception of individuals. The autocrats have always attempted to maneuver the public opinion by steering the press coverage to their advantages. Even Hitler relied upon the government owned press for publicizing his Nuremberg and Munich rallies. Lenin depended upon his newspaper ISKRA so as to popularize his Bolshevik revolution. He concentrated on discontents so as attain authority for himself. However, our media are not owned by government as was the case in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, we are required to presume that are not free. (Media Deception is more than Liberal Bias)

About seventy million Americans depend upon the television telecasting for getting the updated information. Their opinion is much influenced by the materials they visualize, they hear and to some extent what they study. It is not possible of the American citizens to cast well informed votes or formulate conversant decisions in case of public policies without appropriate and undistorted information, it is of utmost significance of the American democracy that the television news and other such available media are to be extremely fair and unprejudiced. (Media Bias Basics) The scholars are striving for the years to find out whether the media have an ideological bias. According to Goldberg, in the era of Jennings and Brokaws and Rathers, the conservatives have no place in the mainstream and are required to be searched out. This is considered to have been proved on the basis of available trend and capable of being examined in this line. (Issue: Liberal Media Bias) The underlying fact of liberal bias of the mainstream media has since long been regarded as the conservative perception. (Journalism Survey: A Report Examining the 'Liberal Media' Claim: Journalists' Views on Politics, Economic Policy and Media Coverage)

The concept of 'liberal media' is very common among the informal watcher of televisions and reader of news and commentary both in printed form or online. The concept spreads over the present political debate. The concept is so widely adapted in the American life with its recurrence that it is rarely queried. (Distortion, blindness and the 'liberal' media) The public personalities from Richard Nixon to Newt Gingrich, at different times have taken shelter on their claim of liberal media out to get them. A multitude of traditional sayings reveal pundits and media watch groups striking an ideology that the media demonstrates an inherently 'liberal' inclination. (Journalism Survey: A Report Examining the 'Liberal Media' Claim: Journalists' Views on Politics, Economic Policy and Media Coverage) The traditionalists have since long made the claim that the mass media normally is influenced towards the left. Even some Democrats have admitted of this, and Gallup polls reveal much transparently that there are more liberal reporters, editors and owners in the media than the conservatives. (Media has a liberal bias)

The attack of conservatism on the news media is based on two general grounds. The views of the Journalists are left to that of the public and the journalists frame news content in a mode that emphasizes such left criterions. (Journalism Survey: A Report Examining the 'Liberal Media' Claim: Journalists' Views on Politics, Economic Policy and Media Coverage) The traditionalists have faith on the mass media and more emphatically the news programs that made the reports inclined towards the liberal position on issues. (Media Bias Basics) Amidst a society with structural perfection the media persons are invulnerable to ideology and are fully goal oriented and aimed at the common people in general. The responsibility of the media persons extends to that of watchdogs, those are normally duty bound to make the politicians streamlined and the general public fully aware. To be a journalist it is essential to have a high standard of integrity, along with much emphasis of unbiased reporting. (Media has a liberal bias)

However, cannot be regarded as the matter of common awareness. The underlying fact of liberal news media bias largely depends upon the ideology that most of the media personnel tend to political inclination towards the left. Bozell is of the opinion that the radical editors and reporters resort to inclined news coverage. (Distortion, blindness and the 'liberal' media) It is quite irrefutable that the irresistible majority of the news anchors and reporters in respect of the major television networks are increasingly liberal politically. It is quite indisputably agreed that the prejudice of the media personnel has a profound impact on their reporting. It is however, the journalists find it possible theoretically to keep apart his views to exclude their influence on the reporting. However, his involvement more intensively in the process ranging from news selection and emphasis to editing and delivery he is thought to be less probable in resisting the temptation to slant the news. The duties of host, to illustrate, if were confined to only reading the 22 minutes of copy of the nightly news, he may be capable of shunning away from any variation that would have expressed his inclinations.

However, the involvement of most of the hosts largely excels the simple reading. The sometimes interfere in selection of the news items and take a major part in scribing and editing the copy. There is however, no fault with the commentators that can be detected when they permit ideological opinion to bias his opinion segment, it is felt quite impossible to deter from it. However, when the broadcasters cautiously include their inclinations in the news items, they are spreading their views as the news which is considered catalyst and unforgivable. The networks have such responsibilities that incite trust by not allowing inclusion of their prejudices into such news items. Alternatively the viewer particularly the informal viewer that relies upon the journalists for presentation of the facts seems to have cheated. This is what is being occurring in case of the major television networks and the major print media in this regard over a long period of time. They seem to spoil the newscast and articles, from the beginning to end by infusing their prejudices. With the addition of insult to such harms they are not usually refuting their prejudices. (Undisclosed Media Bias)

In unnamed feedbacks they often admit the fact however, invariably stresses upon the biases that do not affect their goals. Most of them are addicted to their own self- complacency with their belief in what they are actually opining. However, they are as clear as they are self-righteous. Dan Rather, host of the CBS Evening News delivered a seminar on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, in respect of the very form of the clandestine prejudiced reporting. In two isolated deliberations he spontaneously delivered unwarranted cheap shots at President Bush even without pretension of disguise of his genuine disapproval of the man. In both the circumstances however, Rather was unquestionably critical of the president for not withdrawing the campaign fundraiser with a view to micromanaging the power blackout of the last week. Mockingly, Rather pointed out this to be the reason that he has not been in Washington. However, Rather was not fully convinced with the reporter Bill Plante who advanced the inadequate critical explanation that President Bush was not in favor of calling off the scheduled fundraiser since he believed the blackout was quite incidental and do not involve any terrorist activities. Rather was resentful in saying that Andrew Card was to be kept in charge who was not an elected official. (Undisclosed Media Bias)

This is to be noted that Bush specifically made the nation understand that no act of terrorism was alleged and that the officials were working hard to solve the problem. The local government personnel stationed at ranging from New York to Michigan were persistently guiding the problem of their development. Only the interested close minded observers seem to have visualized the performance of Rather and failed to observe his punch at Bush. It is quite unthinkable that he would have dealt with the President Clinton in this way. This is regarded as only one of the thousands of examples that occur in respect of the nightly broadcast news. The conventional media persistently are denying their clandestine prejudices. Their refutations are thought to be absurd the million of the watchers have perceived of it pretty well and are not concerned with it any more. (Undisclosed Media Bias)

Most of the Americans accede to the trend given below. There have been not less than eleven surveys ever since 1962 that attract political views of hundreds of journalists. In 1971 they were liberal to the up to 53% and conservative by 17%. The survey of 1976 by the Washington Press Crops reveals that about 59% were liberal and 18% were conservative. (Media Bias) A survey of 3,000 media reporters of about 621 newspapers were made by Los Angeles Times during 1985. The findings has close association to the conclusions drawn by Lichter/Rothman analysis so as to prove that the media person are more significantly liberal and even more liberal than the general public. Ever since the conclusions several other findings were also made to confirm that the journals are more liberal than the common man. (The Media Elite) In 1996, a survey of Washington Journalists has fastened the splitting as 61% of liberals and 9% of conservatives. (Media Bias)

A report made by Pew Center in July 2003 depicts that 53% have faith on the political orientation of the news agencies, more than double opine about the liberal attitude of the news agencies that constitute about 51% in comparison to that support the 'conservative' views. (Bozell Meticulously Documents Leftward Tilt in Weapons of Mass Distortion Dissecting Liberal Media Bias) The recent analysis made by Pew Research Center for the People further reveals that the medial personnel with political and ideological orientation are more liberal in comparison to the general public. Responding to the survey, some opposed that the personal social and political views have no difference if a reporter plays the story straight. It is correct. However, about fifty percent of the surveyed put forth that the media personnel more often allow their ideological opinions shade their work. (Media Bias) The Lichter survey revealed that the media is inclined to be more educated than the general public. Innumerable studies have revealed that higher education, higher IQs, liberal ideologies and secular faiths all considerably are interrelated to each other. (The Media Elite)

While an editor resort to the education as the basis for employing best talent that is available to him, it is quite evident that other attributes are also associated with it. Unluckily, however, these interpretations are only overviews. It is even possible for the liberal media to be lured by the money and power of corporation, as all too many 'limousine liberals' have resorted to. The first thing to witness about the most popular journalists irrespective of their political affiliation is their salaries. Every year Diane Sawyer earns $8 million, while Ted Koppel rests with $5 million, David Brinkley with $1 million, George Will with 1.5 million, Cokie Roberts with $700,000. Such remunerations count them among the top one percent of America. This is in consonance with the view that wealth of the top one percent in holds about 40% of total American wealth. These significant media personalities are employed in the central locations like Washington DC and New York City, where they have much interaction with the political as well as business stalwarts. (The Media Elite)

Irrespective of such advantages, however, the mode of orientation of the rigid journalists toward left was revealed by S. Robert Lichter and then with George Washington University, in his astounding survey of 1980 on the media elite. The conclusions of Lichter were theoretical established by the 1988 and 1997 surveys conducted by American Association of Newspaper Editors - ASNE. The most recent surveys conducted by ASNE on 1037 newspaper reporters revealed about 61% who identified themselves as leaning conservative or Republican. (Media Bias Basics) Moreover a more concerned assessment necessitates quantification of the output forwarded by the media. The best study in this direction was pointed out to be the continuous analysis ' A Measure of Media Bias' of Professor Tim Groselclose of UCLA and Jeffrey Milyo of the University of Missouri. An effective statistical device is utilized by such researchers to devise an objective measure of the conservative or liberal bias evident in the news coverage in the U.S. media like television telecasts, radio broadcastings, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. The liberal orientation of the common media is evident from the findings of the studies so conducted. The Fox News and the Washington Times are growing to be increasingly conservative among the 20 major media papers while the other eighteen are inclined towards considerably left of the center. (Bias beyond a Reasonable Doubt- Issue: Yes, the media are overwhelmingly liberal)

The analytical method employed by the Groseclose and Milyo started not with the media but with the voting records of the member of Congress. They utilize the popular ratings of the voting records exercised by the Americans for Democratic Actions -ADA, a self-narrated liberal organization. Firstly, they regulate the ADA ratings of the members for the 1990s to adhere to the comparability over time and between the House and Senate. The ADA score is measured with a scale comprising of scores 0-100 with the 0 indicating the voting of a legislator with the ADA 0% of the time while the 100 signifying 100% agreement. The researchers utilize the scores corresponding to the House ratings in 1999. On this scale, weighting the legislators by the average ADA score for 1995-99 in the House and Senate was 50.1. On this criterion the legislators of District of Columbia are regarded as the most liberal. (Bias beyond a Reasonable Doubt- Issue: Yes, the media are overwhelmingly liberal)

When the members of Congress represent the views of their constituencies it is regarded that they are as close to 50 that is similar to the position of the common voter. The most liberal senators like John Kerry begged about 88 ADA ratings, Ted Kennedy stood with 89%. The conservative group includes Bill Frist with 10, John McCain with 13. The results hovered around Joe Lieberman with 74, John Breaux with 60 and Arlen Specter with 51 and Olympia Snowe with 43.7%. (Bias beyond a Reasonable Doubt- Issue: Yes, the media are overwhelmingly liberal) Such conclusions humiliate many liberals initially; however, actually such observations are more awkward to conservatives when one considers the larger picture. It has always been a maxim that the institutions engaged most in disseminating the knowledge and information are considered to be more liberal. This the reason that universities, science, trading centers, world travelers and cities have always been considered to be more liberal than the average that makes the media to be more liberal. The knowledge attained tends to be more liberal and not conservative when the people attempt to explore the real world. This has become the truism that is associated with the whole of human history.

The of Peter Jennings of American Broadcasting Corporation was quoted by Brent Bozell a strong advocate of conservatism to opine about a more liberal persuasion of media traditionally and to say that ever since a long period of time it involves the more vigorous conservative voices than that it exists presently. It has shrewdly been observed by Bozell that Jennings and Liberals often note that there are now more conservative voices in the media and these are always the voices of commentators not reporters. Bozel opines about absence of the empirical evidence on remarkable growth of conservatism in the newsrooms. Moreover, the likes of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Al Franken publicize the canard of regulation by the conservatives in the news media. The liberals put forth the argument that the conservative business people own many newspapers and their endorsements of Republican presidential candidates depict their profound influence. (Bozell Meticulously Documents Leftward Tilt in Weapons of Mass Distortion Dissecting Liberal Media Bias)

This is considered true in some cases, but employing journalists most of whom are liberal. His claim about double standards is utilized to enhance the liberal social agenda. He takes the illustration of the beating to death of Matthew Shepard, a cheerful student of the University in Wyoming during 1998. For about a week the news came out in the headlines. However, the death of 13-year aged boy in consequence with games engaged in by two cheerful roommates after some months of the Shepherd incident were completely ignored by the media. Bozell constructs his case meticulously to depict the leftward inclination of the media in respect of taxation, environmental issues, gun control, religion and abortion. To illustrate he pointed out to the three broadcast network coverage of the tax proposals of Bush in January 2003. In between the January 2-15 during the year about 28 stories on the subject were found out by him and his colleagues on ABC, CBS and NBC. He revealed that the liberal hymn was repeated again and again about the intention of the tax proposals of Bush comforting only the rich. (Bozell Meticulously Documents Leftward Tilt in Weapons of Mass Distortion Dissecting Liberal Media Bias)

The liberal-dominated newsrooms are engaged in both print and broadcast; tune the news to their world view in two directions, choice of stories and reportorial treatment. Bozell points to the al-Qaeda attack of September 11, 2001 and war on Afghanistan and Iraq to exemplify this. (Bozell Meticulously Documents Leftward Tilt in Weapons of Mass Distortion Dissecting Liberal Media Bias) Moreover, the liberal wave is considerably emphasizing the aspects of a policy quite favorable to the liberals without noting aspects conducive to the conservatives; putting forth the liberal attitude of the implications of an event at the same time affording little or no time to explain the conservative interpretation. The news media hovers around the campaign coverage of liberals for two reasons that they intend to and are capable of. The media is intended to twist the campaign coverage with a view to making the liberal candidates found to be good since as a group the media are liberal and want the liberal politicians elected. (Stop the Spin) Since the media is clearly inclined towards left presently it is difficult to make it clearly. While it is quite evident that journalists have liberal schedules and only aim at electing the Democrats, it is quite difficult to chat and at the same time maintain straight faces. (Media has a liberal bias)