Double Standard in the News Media?

Question

Conservative political commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are often portrayed as right-wing wackos, divisive, and dangerous to a healthy political atmosphere. One can even see this stereotype being advanced in the mainstream media when commentators like Limbaugh and Hannity are called "controversial" and asked to defend their positions by news reporters.

Conversely, liberal commentators like Keith Olberman and Al Franklin are never called "controversial" by the news media, nor are they ever brought onto news shows to defend their positions. Also, while Olberman is just as liberal as O'Reilly is conservative, Olberman is taken as a serious journalist while O'Reilly is often looked upon as a crazed-lunatic by the mainstream media.

Does anyone else see a double-standard like this, or is it just me?

I would appreciate serious replies from intelligent people only. No need to call me a neo-con or a Nazi, etc.

Answer 1

I think you are looking through a partisan lens, so it may seem that way to you. I am a pretty liberal guy, but I am no fan of Olberman. I just consider him the liberal Limbaugh.

Since right wing commentators often use labels simliar to the ones you mention, like "the looney left wing" or "extreme left wing". So yes it's a double standard, one in which both sides take part, apparently with great pleasure.

I have heard Limbaugh called controversial, but not hannity. I've heard him called other things, but not controversial. A lot of this is marketing. You think These guys mind being called controversial? Heck no, it sells more books. And don't thinks that a "conservative" news channel doesn't have plenty of liberals on staff and vice versa. These companies are all in bed together. They went to the same journalism schools, and/or all worked together as interns, and/or live in the same neighborhoods. I'm not saying these people are buddies when the cameras go off, but don't think that they aren't working together when it counts.

And I'm sorry, but Coulter is a whacko. I know you didn't mention her but I had to throw that out there. I only can pray that she doesn't breed.

Answer 2

naturally, you are 100% correct. To me, it seems that the news media is totally liberal, except for Fox News. Makes me also wonder whether the lib. media is trying to 'move the news'.
The entire problem however is far deeper and more endemic than what a simple answer can convey; Liberal universities produce liberal journalists. Liberal journalists cannot simply report news, without embedding a bias into the story. Likewise, Liberal TV news producers select the stories, and thus, the slant given them, for the evening news.

A solution? Gosh, if there is one, I would put my money on the Internet, and each person with access to same having the sense to filter the news through a very fine sieve, feeling for and learning to recognize the obvious bias built into the story...

Answer 3

As someone who has worked in the Media Broadcast industry for a number of years, I'm afraid that I have to agree with you. There is a double standard in the way political stories are reported. Senators like Bill Frist and James Inhofe are referred to as "Conservative Senator _____" while Senators such as Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy are never referred to as "Liberal Senator _____" I began studying this during President Clinton's second term, and saw that stories reporting about Democratic policies were usually referred to as "insightful, progressive, helpful", Republican policies were referred to as "radical, risky, questionable and conservative." Words with positive conotations are used in Democratic stories, words with negative conotations are used in Republican stories. If I mention this at work, I'm usually told I'm full of "crap" and am informed that if the press has any bias, it's in favor of the Republicans. I've even been threatened to be reported for using "abusive" and "threatening" language. So much for Free Speech. Ok. I'm getting down off my soapbox now.

Answer 4

Look at it this way, regardless of ideology, the truth is Hannity and Limbaugh are exactly what they are: Pin-headed little attack dogs on the payroll of conservative bigwigs.

Answer 5

Conservatives are super enterprise human beings and promoters of religion yet they're adverse newshounds. maximum conservative newspeople (different than George Will) could no longer hack it in the enterprise international so as that they desperate to grow to be newspeople by way of fact they understand precisely the thank you to stir up conservatives and make liberals blood boil. that's super, yet you will desire to get the data quickly (& like the lack of WMDs in Iraq) conservatives do no longer p.c. to do their homework that's why adult males like Hannity, O'Reily, Rush are seen wackos by employing many human beings exceedingly liberals (who i do no longer continually consider yet they do tend to do their homework)

Answer 6

No, for the most part they get put in a corner and ignored, or fired from their jobs. (see Franken, Maher, etc.)