Bias in the Media
I have a great book if anyone would like to read it called Bias by Bernard Goldberg.
"An eye-opening part of his diatribe is when he explains how easy it is for people to distort the news. As a conservative, I've always subscribed to the theory of a left-wing conspiracy that makes those in the media purposefully leave off the liberal tags on special-interest groups whose views are liberal, while applying "conservative" tags to the right-wing groups. But, according to Bias, the offending journalists who do this aren't doing it out of a plan. They do it because to them, the National Organization of Women is moderate, and the Christian Coalition is a group of extremist right-wingers.
Though not going so far as Rush Limbaugh in accusing all media members of being "willing accomplices" to the liberal agenda, Goldberg does say that often newsrooms don't reflect America's diversity, so the news they report doesn't either.
He quotes a 1996 Freedom Forum survey of 139 Washington bureau chiefs and congressional correspondents that stated 89 percent of those surveyed voted for Clinton, while only 43 percent of nonjournalists did. Seven percent voted for George H. Bush, while 37 percent of the rest of America did, and 2 percent voted for Ross Perot, while 19 percent of the country did. It won't take a statistician to understand these and other statistics are not indicative of a politically diverse newsroom.
Goldberg takes it a step further by extrapolating a lack of diversity in stories, too. A favorite quote of mine regarding journalists comes as he comments on the Freedom Forum poll numbers on Bill Clinton: "There's hardly a candidate in the entire United States of America who carries his or her district with 89 percent of the vote. This is way beyond mere landslide numbers. The only politicians who get numbers like that are called Fidel Castro or Saddam Hussein."
In short, Bias, though lacking in literary smoothness, wants for nothing in facts and witty commentary. Anyone who has ever considered the idea of a bias in the media owes it to themselves to read this book. Additionally, anyone who is sure the media is some shining institution above reproach that does no evil, will surely be surprised once they finish this work."
You pay for shipping if you want it email me.
[ 02-19-2003, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Boedy ]
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