Why do people think the media is liberally-biased?

Question

I don't really understand. Examples would be great, too.

Answer 1

“Reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
-Stephen Colbert

They don't understand that the job of the media is to present an accurate picture of what's happening, rather than a view that makes both parties look equally good (and maybe the Republicans a little better).

The war in Iraq has been a disaster, and most Americans believe that the war in Iraq has been a disaster. A lot of Republicans have messed up, and they haven't done well in recent elections. So the media report this - and conservatives decide that obviously, the media has a liberal bias.

The media also have reported on problems that Democrats have had - Norman Hsu, for instance; or Joe Biden's "clean and articulate" comments, to name two campaign gaffes of the season. But somehow that doesn't count.

Answer 2

usually what makes news is the more sensationalist events, so anyone who is basically F*** up in some way will definetely hit headlines, be it Republicans in government making bad decisions or Lnidsay Lohan drink driving. If you're doing a good job, or nothing at all, and just plain boring you're not newsworthy. Just the same the media is biased in the sense that the editorial will always curtail any opinion that may create too much controversy to the owners or advertising patrons. Bias in newscoverage can be as sneaky as simply how much space or coverage you give one news event as opposed to another.

Answer 3

I don't think people realise, that the Media is subject & privy to a great deal MORE INFORMATION than the average person is...-thus their "slant" on the news is going to be BASED upon more than what the people understand. So, people think the Media is "biased" - when ACTUALLY it's the PEOPLE's fault- that THEY can't be "botherd" to check out all the facts! Let's face it, it's easier to BLAME someone- for that which YOU don't understand... :(

Answer 4

I believe that this is primarily because the media consciously projects that image. The media, of course, is far from liberal because they are owned and controlled by major corporations. By projecting the liberal image, they can appear to be progressive while actually functioning conservatively.

There is liberal media -- but this is a rare commodity in mainstream media. In the mainstream, the possible exceptions are Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report". Outside of mainstream media, you can check out www.democracynow.org, huffingtonpost.com

Answer 5

Surveys of journalists by the Pew Research Center found that between 1995 and 2004, the number of journalists that considered themselves conservative rose from 4% to 7%, while the number of self identified liberal journalists jumped from 22% to 34%.

"Freedomnomics" page 185

Answer 6

Because they think the media reports badly of conservatives and they're more gracious to liberals. Also, it would appear that most news organizations have more liberals as columnists and opinion editors than they do conservatives.