[saden1]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

A few years ago I found a paper written by a couple of professors that examined (from an academic point of view) the bias of various news outlets. I think the results will surprise a few here. The first version I read of this paper was written in 2003, but the link here is of an updated (November 2005) version.

The entire paper: http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/faculty/.../MediaBias.pdf
A brief summary: Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist... 12/14/2005

We measure media bias by estimating ideological scores for several major media outlets. To compute this, we count the times that a particular media outlet cites various think tanks and policy groups, and then compare this with the times that members of Congress cite the same groups.

Their method is absurd and I say that with a straight face. Is this what pass of as scientific study these days? The fact that these jokers mention anomalies (RAND and ACLU) with their list should tell you somethings.

Also, from their premise how do you account for how active an organization is? The ACLU and Amnesty International are in the business of fighting for the weak and defenseless and they don't hesitate to sue on behalf of the little guy. What about the fact that politicians like to take single topic that has the potential of furthering their own career and run with it?