I don't get it?

Question

This is a legitimate inquiry. I'd prefer honest opinions rather than canned answer or party lines.

There's something about the notion of a Liberal Media Bias that's never sat right with me. I've heard Conservatives tell me that they believe that the marjority of Americans are Conservatives. Most claim that it is an overwhealming majority. I've heard from both Conservatives and Liberals that the vast majority of the money earned in the country is made by Political Conservatives. I've been told vehemently bu Conservatives and even some Liberals that the American Media is a Liberal Bias. Why would an industry that survives off advertising revenue court the appeal of a sector of society that has the less commercial appeal in America? Is there a piece of this scenario that I'm not grasping or are some or all of these statements incorrect?

Once again please just answers to the question posed. I'm not looking for insults to Republicans or Democrats, they're not difficult to come by.

Some interresting perspectives. I'm not sure who has the higher timeslot for audience ratings fall to but the channels with the highest measured viewership on cable are USA, Comedy Central, and Oxygen. And the most watched TV news show according to Neilson ratins is Comdedy Central's Daily Show. So I'm not sure about claims that Conservative Media is growing more dominant.

Answer 1

The idea is not that those in the media are deliberately skewing their broadcast to fit their agenda.

But when the vast majority of people around you are liberal, liberal starts to seem "moderate." Therefore, when you present your version of "moderate" you are actually presenting a somewhat liberal view.

Check out the Pew Research Center

34% of Journalists at national media outlets describe themselves as liberal, 59% moderate, and a mere 7% consider themselves conservative.
Compare that to the general population; 20% describe themselves as liberal, 50% moderate, and 30% consider themselves conservative.

And when you see that self-described liberals (in the media) out-number conservatives 5 to one, it makes me wonder how moderate the "moderates" are.

So, unless your watching Fox, you are watching a broadcast created & presented by liberals. And thier personal bias is bound to come through, whether they intend it to, or not.

Answer 2

What a great question!

In my opinion, I think that there is a bias and that it is born from an "elitist" mind set. I don't like to use labels, but the best I can describe it is, that those running the media think they are smarter, more well educated and see any conservative group as "beneath them"

I am not sure why they are bias because it is HURTING them. Circulation is down on many major newspapers. Both the NY Times and San Francisco Chronicle (very liberal) are declining, while Wall Street Journal (moderate to conservative) has been increasing.

The numbers tell a story - while some of this is of course due to many people turning to alternative media sources, I do think the "liberal bias" is currently and will continue to hurt news rating.

P.S. I'm not positive, but I think Fox News is rated #1 - so yet another example of moderate/conservative media outperforming there more liberal counterparts.

Answer 3

That is an outstanding question, and I don't know the answer really. I think that most people are not nearly as conservative as conservatives would like to think. I think that most conservatives would say that the values that are shown on a tv show, for example Desperate Housewives, are not the values that represent them. However, I know many conservatives who watch the show religiously every week. The same could be said for the news media. I am very liberal, but I watch Fox News because I find it entertaining. I like to watch Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, if for nothing else, a good laugh. I know a lot of liberals who do the same thing. Basically, I think that conservatives are much more liberal in their lives than they are in their politics.

Answer 4

I don't get it either. Advertising is extremely liberal. It's so liberal it should almost be censored. It seems to me that the statements are quite conflicting. I would think if there were truly an overwhelming majority of American Conservatives existing indeed, that most of what is accepted in this country would not be released unto the public - by any venue.

Answer 5

I don't think there is an inconsistency as a business, but consider why FOX news is number one, and you don't see changes from the other guys. The Liberal bias has been around for a long time. I used to complain about Walter when I was a teenager.

Answer 6

Controversy sells papers (or web views and advertiser clicks).

Early in the 20th century, even a tad bit before, there was something called "yellow journalism"--essentially, the descriptive nature of the term is akin to the winter advice of "don't eat yellow snow". There were those who were called "muck rakers"--again, muck is the soft, brown, and stinky residue from barnyard animals. It worked back then, still does.

"Journalists" today tend to exaggerate a bit. Politicians tend to exaggerate in ways to make the likes of Picasso and Van Gogh proud. Listen to them and you will notice great drama to a strong gust of wind, as if the world was about to come to an end. Just ignore them.

Answer 7

I believe it all points to who the President is at the time on who says what and who gets blamed. It works with both parties.

Answer 8

What people [general public] are and what they say they are, are are two different things. Liberals are traditionally more likely to spend money.

Answer 9

mmmmm, there are biased newspapers and news stations on both sides (lib/con). It goes both ways.

Answer 10

Guess they figure anybody dumb enough to believe that crap, would be dumb enough to believe their crap