Jan 21 2005
That Darned Liberal Media
I just love it when many conservatives start howling about what a liberal bias our media - or main stream media (MSM) as they like to call it - has when reporting on the news of the day.
Clearly, if it weren’t for the stranglehold conservatives had on cable TV news programs like ‘The O’Reilly Factor’, ‘Hannity & Colmes’, ‘The Don Imus Show’, and ‘Hardball’ or the fact that they’ve got an entire network dedicated to serving up a heaping helping of decidedly pro-conservative programming, the airwaves would indeed be a liberals paradise!
And despite all that, many conservatives continue to hold on to this notion of a liberal bias in the media for some strange reason, some even complaining that yesterdays coverage of the inaguration was TOO liberal! Obviously, if you even so much as show a liberal on TV these days without crapping all over them, you’re supporting the so called liberal bias.
So, it’s interesting to see a complete inventory of what networks had who on during the live coverage yesterday thanks to Media Matters:
Media Matters for America inventoried all guests who appeared on FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC during the channels’ January 20 inauguration coverage. Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Republican and conservative guests and commentators outnumbered Democrats and progressives 19 to 7 on FOX*, 10 to 1 on CNN (not including a Republican-skewed panel featuring Ohio voters), and 13 to 2 on MSNBC. Moreover, the rare Democrat or progressive guest usually appeared opposite conservatives, whereas most Republican and conservative guests and commentators appeared solo or alongside fellow conservatives.
Wow. 42 conservative commentators vs. 10 progressive commentators on the three biggest cable TV news networks.
Obviously the liberal bias is just bleeding through the thinly veiled attempts to make the shows just ’seem’ conservative. Something needs to be done about this liberal media bias, and soon.
I’m not sure what you are saying in this post. So they had 40R to 10D (or whatever it was). Could it be they interviewed more Repub because the Prez is a Repub? Can you (or mediamatters.org) provide us with interview numbers from Clinton’s inauguration?
“Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media”
We are going to promote our agenda only. We are not going to correct ALL misinformation, just information that contradicts our (possibly crazy) beliefs. Why would I want to read columns from this type of organization? It’s no different than you ignoring news just because it comes from a reporter on Fox News.
I think I have to agree with my old friend Yeah Boy on this one, Dan. Yes, Clinton and Carter attended some of the festivities, but let’s be honest. Thursday was a day for the conservatives, not us.
You guys are both missing the point. He’s just saying that there doesn’t seem to be such a liberal bias, at least on the coverage of the inauguration.
I understand that, mwarden, and I agree. I just don’t think pointing out that more conservative panelists covering a conservative president’s victory bash is indicative of a trend in the media in general. That doesn’t mean I don’t agree with Dan that the whole “liberal media bias” thing is a crock of shit!
C’mon, man! I actually agree with Yeah Boy on something! Let’s enjoy the moment, shall we? ;)
This is an inspiring moment Les! :)
Honestly, you guys/gals, this is why I still post on Dan’s blog. At least you guys have the courage to call it like you see it. Les could have kept quiet and silently agreed with me, but he didn’t. He stepped up and said something … I admire that.
Now, if I can just get Dan to agree with me once! ;)
Right, I’m just pointing out another example of the ‘liberal media’ myth. I realize the GOP gets their day in the sun here, but I’d be curious to find out who was on the TV networks back in January 1997…