The Liberal News Media
Published May 24, 2004
Quotes from here...
NEW YORK Those convinced that liberals make up a disproportionate share of newsroom workers have long relied on Pew Research Center surveys to confirm this view, and they will not be disappointed by the results of Pew's latest study released today.
While most of the journalists, like many Americans, describe themselves as "moderate," a far higher number are "liberal" than in the general population.
At national organizations (which includes print, TV and radio), the numbers break down like this: 34% liberal, 7% conservative. At local outlets: 23% liberal, 12% conservative. At Web sites: 27% call themselves liberals, 13% conservatives.
This contrasts with the self-assessment of the general public: 20% liberal, 33% conservative.
The survey of 547 media professionals, completed this spring, is part of an important study released today by The Project for Excellence in Journalism and The Committee of Concerned Journalists, which mainly concerns more general issues related to newsrooms (an E & P summary will appear Monday).
While it's important to remember that most journalists in this survey continue to call themselves moderate, the ranks of self-described liberals have grown in recent years, according to Pew. For example, since 1995, Pew found at national outlets that the liberal segment has climbed from 22% to 34% while conservatives have only inched up from 5% to 7%.
The survey also revealed what some are sure to label a "values" gap. According to Pew, about 60% of the general public believes it is necessary to believe in God to be a truly moral person. The new survey finds that less than 15% of those who work at news outlets believe that. About half the general public believes homosexuality should be accepted by society — but about 80% of journalists feel that way.
I would be curious to see what the results would have been if "moderate" wasn't a choice. I suspect it would have been about 75-25 liberal.
- The Liberal News Media
- Published: May 24, 2004
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- Section: Sci/Tech
- Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Internet, Culture: Media
- Writer: RJ Elliott
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Comments
"99% of the administration falls into the neo-con category."
Uh, people like Colin Powell and Elaine Chao and Norman Mineta are neo-cons? News to me...
"Quite a bit more skewed than any media bias if you ask me."
Er, we don't have a Proportional Representation electoral system in the US, BCB. It's winner-take-all.
If Gore had won, do you think his administration would be only 20% liberal? Do you think it would be 33% conservative?
Never heard of Elaine Chao, but Colin Powell was why I changed my original percentage of 100 down to 99.
we don't have a Proportional Representation electoral system in the US, BCB. It's winner-take-all.
Well, since the media is based on advertising, ratings and the almighty dollar, that makes the success of media based on capitalism. Isn't capitalism, winner-take-all? I don't get your point. What's the percentage of conservatives vs. liberals in talk radio?
How come everybody bitches about CNN and the like being liberal but they don't say a damn thing about Fox news? It's just as partisan. No, I take that back, it's even more blatantly partisan. Nobody bitches about it, because it's partisan on their behalf. Makes rants about the liberal media grow old. If you don't like it, change to fox.
If Gore had won, do you think his administration would be only 20% liberal? Do you think it would be 33% conservative?
I get your point here. But considering that Liberman was his running mate and Liberman is a Republican in Democrats clothing, I'd have to say his cabinet would have a little more variety than Bushs.
"Never heard of Elaine Chao"
She's in the Cabinet.
"What's the percentage of conservatives vs. liberals in talk radio?"
Honestly, it's a lot closer to parity than you might think. Those who specialize in political talk tend to lean right (understatement), but they don't attempt to hide this fact. Those who are mere "shock-jocks" (Stern, Imus, Bubba, etc.) tend to lean Left. And now there's Air America Radio. And there has always been NPR...
"How come everybody bitches about CNN and the like being liberal but they don't say a damn thing about Fox news? It's just as partisan. No, I take that back, it's even more blatantly partisan. Nobody bitches about it"
Er, EVERYONE bitches about it. I agree that FOXNEWS is just as partisan as CNN or other news organizations, but this is hardly some sort of secret...
The main complaint that I have isn't the liberals in the media who are honest about their political views (like Air America Radio). It's the liberals who pretend to be completely "fair and balanced" who irk me. Dan Rather is an example. Aaron Brown and Chris Matthews are two others. And there are many more...
rj, do you think that for once you can write a meaningful post that includes three paragraphs of orginal throught and analysis instead of cutting and pasting from another source that actually took the time to write an article and then putting one line of commentary on it?
Really, I don't undertand why they let people like you post on here. it really detracts from the site.
re: Comment #5 - While I don't agree with the 'idiot' namecalling aspect, I'll second that opinion.
There's a big difference between cutting/pasting/sniping vs linking to a contemporary story and adding something *original, creative, or interesting.
RJ needs a bit more stringent criteria for his own entries. Either that, or a heightened sense of shame.
*see CW Fisher for more
Corporations own the media = corporate bias. Journalists working for the corporate-controlled media and being filtered and censored so their reporting aligns with the corporate agenda = corporate whores. You would be better served to find out what the political bent of the editors is. Even that might not really matter. What matters is if they are willing to sell out the truth, ethics and journalistic integrity for corporate cash. Can you find a survey on this one? Why don't you just read Manufacturing Consent by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky? {Please don't bother responding by denouncing Chomsky's character or political agenda. Just read the book--and fact check it if you think it is wrong}
Corporations don't care about the truth, and they don't care about integrity. They aren't capable of caring at all. It's all about the money.
Lastly, Stern and Imus are corporate whores.
The key phase here is "self-assessment" - the study asked the journalists to describe themselves:
Fox News describes itself as "fair and balanced" so I suspect their journalists described themselves as moderates.
Questions to reporters in annual survey:
Are you liberal or conservative?
National Media: 34 percent liberal, 7 percent conservative. (Nearly a 5-to-1 ratio)
General Public: 20 percent liberal, 33 percent conservative.
As surveys go, this is not one of the most useful.
Of course, in some countries the truth is the truth, not what 15%/45%/60% of the population regard as an acceptable version of the truth, and the political views of the professional reporting it is immaterial.
But then again, a small reminder of the dominance the conservatives enjoy outside of the media, and which deserves fair counter ...


RJ Elliott is a graduate student studying Criminal Justice at the University Of Central Florida. His likes include nature, sports, and pierced blondes. He dislikes daytime television, left-wing dictators, and lead-tainted Chinese imports. He is ambivalent about Angelina Jolie.



What's sad is the part where 33% of the general public considers themselves conservative, yet 99% of the administration falls into the neo-con category. Quite a bit more skewed than any media bias if you ask me.