Media Bias

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

[Continued from the McCain/Romney thread]

Firstdown,

I don't agree with your claim that PBS is as biased to the left as Fox News is to the right. I think PBS is pretty balanced and far better than, say, CNN or Fox News. Keep in mind, I am an independent who leans right on about 50% of the "issues" and left on the other 50% of the "issues." As for Fox News' bias, I wasn't referring to the O'Reilly Factor, I was referring to their "news segments."

[FRPLG]

I often struggle to see why it is simply accepted that Fox News is right wing fanatic while mainstream media is simply cneter-left. For my money watching Fox News I often wonder if the fact that they are not left simply makes them appear so much more conservative than they really are.

Alas I do find myself having to work to keep my opinions in check while watching the networks and CNN because I am so ingrained to be skeptical of their reporting. Bernie Goldberg's book on media bias is great and he wrote it before he ever started working for Fox News. His point is essentially that the media culture is one of liberals and that they do not intentionally turn the news left but they simply see the world through that view and their reporting reflects it.

I have less a problem with media bias than I do with with people who seem to want to assert that it doesn't exist or those who minimalize it.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I often struggle to see why it is simply accepted that Fox News is right wing fanatic while mainstream media is simply cneter-left. For my money watching Fox News I often wonder if the fact that they are not left simply makes them appear so much more conservative than they really are.

Alas I do find myself having to work to keep my opinions in check while watching the networks and CNN because I am so ingrained to be skeptical of their reporting. Bernie Goldberg's book on media bias is great and he wrote it before he ever started working for Fox News. His point is essentially that the media culture is one of liberals and that they do not intentionally turn the news left but they simply see the world through that view and their reporting reflects it.

I have less a problem with media bias than I do with with people who seem to want to assert that it doesn't exist or those who minimalize it.

I read the book and agree with the bolded statement above. The difference between CNN and Fox News is that most mainstream media outlets unintentionally/subtly lean left whereas Fox News is unabashedly right leaning. Fox News has a purpose, it caters to those who feel the mainstream media is too liberal.

As a centrist independent, I think it's pretty clear that Fox is more biased than most news outlets, even if there are more numerous left-leaning media outlets. Do you really disagree with that statement?

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I read the book and agree with the bolded statement above. The difference between CNN and Fox News is that most mainstream media outlets unintentionally/subtly lean left whereas Fox News is unabashedly right leaning. Fox News has a purpose, it caters to those who feel the mainstream media is too liberal.

As a centrist independent, I think it's pretty clear that Fox is more biased than most news outlets, even if there are more numerous left-leaning media outlets. Do you really disagree with that statement?

I'd probably agree that they are more overtly biased. They have people who are recognized as leaning one way or the other and they do seem to accept the notion of media bias. Being as their slogan is "Fair and Balanced". Whether they are moreso biased than others I may not be able to tell but I would say at least they don't just ignore the notion of bias like the networks and CNN basically do.

[wolfeskins]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I often struggle to see why it is simply accepted that Fox News is right wing fanatic while mainstream media is simply cneter-left. For my money watching Fox News I often wonder if the fact that they are not left simply makes them appear so much more conservative than they really are.

BINGO !! you win .

[saden1]

Honestly I don't really care much for CNN or Fox or MSNBC for that matter. I expect news outlets to report the news not have some talking head telling me their opinions as if they were fact. My main problem with Fox is that they claim to be "Fair and Balanced" which I find very insulting. Seriously, that has to be a joke. They often dumb down their news, almost to a Jerry Springerish level.

And yes, there is biased everywhere. To be human is to have bias even if you don't think you have none.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by saden1

Honestly I don't really care much for CNN or Fox or MSNBC for that matter. I expect news outlets to report the news not have some talking head telling me their opinions as it they were fact. My main problem with Fox is that they claim to be "Fair and Balanced" which I find very insulting. Seriously, that has to be a joke. They often dumb down their news, almost to a Jerry Springerish level.

Speaking of MSNBC. Last Tuesday night in their coverage of the election and the results they showed Hillary & Obama's picture whith these big smiles. When they showed the Rep. they all had frowns and just laughed. I almost started a thread about that. So watch the next primary. It sounds like we all pretty much agree that their is bias in the media but disagree on how much from different sources.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by saden1

Honestly I don't really care much for CNN or Fox or MSNBC for that matter. I expect news outlets to report the news not have some talking head telling me their opinions as if they were fact. My main problem with Fox is that they claim to be "Fair and Balanced" which I find very insulting. Seriously, that has to be a joke. They often dumb down their news, almost to a Jerry Springerish level.

And yes, there is biased everywhere. To be human is to have bias even if you don't think you have none.

That's true but it's one thing to inadvertently project personal bias onto a story/issue, completely another to build bias into your network's identity.

[70Chip]

At least Fox never pushed phony documents on the public in an attempt to discredit a politician they didn't like. Dan Rather is still telling people he thinks they were real. But what am I saying. CBS did an internal investigation and determined that nothing that happened there was the result of bias. So, CBS has spoken and CBS says that CBS is not biased.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

[Continued from the McCain/Romney thread]

Firstdown,

I don't agree with your claim that PBS is as biased to the left as Fox News is to the right. I think PBS is pretty balanced and far better than, say, CNN or Fox News. Keep in mind, I am an independent who leans right on about 50% of the "issues" and left on the other 50% of the "issues." As for Fox News' bias, I wasn't referring to the O'Reilly Factor, I was referring to their "news segments."

Everything they talk about is bashing the Rep party and Bush. I can not think of the guys name he is a left winger and he even says that PBS leans heavy to the left. Why do you think that the Rep. party wanted to cut off funds to PBS?

[saden1]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Everything they talk about is bashing the Rep party and Bush. I can not think of the guys name he is a left winger and he even says that PBS leans heavy to the left. Why do you think that the Rep. party wanted to cut off funds to PBS?

A PBS show, Bill Moyer Journal, convinced me that Bill Clinton needed to be impeached and I believe that's the most liberal show on PBS.

I find PBS by far the best source for pure news. They truly report the news, news that really matters.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Everything they talk about is bashing the Rep party and Bush. I can not think of the guys name he is a left winger and he even says that PBS leans heavy to the left. Why do you think that the Rep. party wanted to cut off funds to PBS?

I don't think that's necessarily true. Moreover, Bush hasn't been a great success. He's pretty unpopular with people of all political affiliations. I support the surge, but the Iraq Qar was a mistake of massive proportions. Bush has managed to alienate most of our allies, even after they rallied to our cause after 9/11. The economy is in or headed for a recession. The Bush administration has been riddled with scandals and the list goes on. Again, I'm no leftie, but it's pretty hard not to be hard on Bush.

[70Chip]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I don't think that's necessarily true. Moreover, Bush hasn't been a great success. He's pretty unpopular with people of all political affiliations. I support the surge, but the Iraq Qar was a mistake of massive proportions. Bush has managed to alienate most of our allies, even after they rallied to our cause after 9/11. The economy is in or headed for a recession. The Bush administration has been riddled with scandals and the list goes on. Again, I'm no leftie, but it's pretty hard not to be hard on Bush.

You may be the only person in the country who is "not a leftie" and also doesn't think that PBS has a Liberal Bias. That's not a position that Centrists or Conservatives generally hold. It's an interesting technique, though. You hear it on C-Span call in shows a lot: "I've been a Republican all my life, but this year I'm voting for the Democrats". Sure. Whatever.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by 70Chip

You may be the only person in the country who is "not a leftie" and also doesn't think that PBS has a Liberal Bias. That's not a position that Centrists or Conservatives generally hold. It's an interesting technique, though. You hear it on C-Span call in shows a lot: "I've been a Republican all my life, but this year I'm voting for the Democrats". Sure. Whatever.

No need to imply that I'm lying about my centrist credentials. As many left-leaning people on this site who are familiar with me know (dmek, Matty, Shane), I am FAR from a "leftie." I'm pro-surge, pro death penalty, pro free trade/globalization, detest Hillary Clinton, anti-late term abortion etc. I'm also pro-choice (with limitations), pro gay marriage, and will most likely vote for Obama. In the minds of most of my friends off of this site, I'm known as more right leaning than left leaning. I'm only viewed as more left-leaning than right-leaning by party-line conservatives.

As for PBS' supposed bias, please elaborate? My guess is you don't watch it that much.

[70Chip]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

No need to imply that I'm lying about my centrist credentials. As many left-leaning people on this site who are familiar with me know (dmek, Matty, Shane), I am FAR from a "leftie." I'm pro-surge, pro death penalty, pro free trade/globalization, detest Hillary Clinton, anti-late term abortion etc. I'm also pro-choice (with limitations), pro gay marriage, and will most likely vote for Obama. In the minds of most of my friends off of this site, I'm known as more right leaning than left leaning. I'm only viewed as more left-leaning than right-leaning by party-line conservatives.

As for PBS' supposed bias, please elaborate? My guess is you don't watch it that much.

I don't think you're being dishonest. I also don't think that detesting Hillary Clinton or being against Partial Birth makes you right leaning. After all, Baraq is the more liberal of the two. I don't go along with everything the right believes but that hardly makes me a "centrist". The pundit-class has made a fetish of the notion of being in the "center". There is an assumption that if you are part one thing and part another you are more thoughtful or even psychologically more balanced. I don't accept that.

I watch PBS quite a bit. The NewsHour is reasonably fair. Probably more balanced than many others, however:

Charlie Rose -Liberal
Tavis Smiley -Liberal
Bill Moyers -Liberal
Frontline -Liberal
American Experience -Somewhat Less Liberal

I also suspect that Norm Abram from This Old House was in the Weather Underground, though I have never been able to prove it. And don't get me started on Big Bird or that guy from Blues Clues.