I was just reading an article at MSNBC.com about Judge Alito winning the endorsement of the Senate Judiciary Committee, when I noticed an interesting link on the right side of the page. It's a link to Daryl Cagle's collection of political cartoons.
It should be noted that this is not a collection of "liberal" or "progressive" political cartoons. It's just a collection of the political cartoons that are drawn by the big-name cartoonists whose work is printed in the big-time newspapers. And then these cartoons are divided into sections, by topic.
So, I checked out the section on the Alito confirmation hearings. It's eleven pages in all, with an average of three cartoons per page. So, there are roughly 33 cartoons to be found here.
I viewed every one. And I can honestly say that maybe, maybe, six could be considered neutral, and one somewhat positive. The rest (approximately 26 others) were all negative.
And I don't mean just a little bit critical. I'm talking about thoroughly viscous attacks, implying he's a racist who has no respect for women and is literally a loincloth-wearing, club-wielding Neanderthal.
Now, I realize these are just the cartoonists' opinions. They are not supposed to be objective or fair. And I have no problem with anti-Alito cartoonists making their little hateful scribbles and getting them printed atop the editorial sections of newspapers across the country.
But clearly, this is yet another example (as if rational people needed any more...) of the leftist bias that permeates the mainstream media.
Again: 26 anti-Alito cartoons, six neutral cartoons, and one kinda-sorta pro-Alito cartoon. That's nearly 80% negative, and just 3% positive. Doesn't seem very balanced, does it? (Maybe this overt bias is part of the reason newspaper circulation is declining in most markets?)
If you disagree with my categorizations of these cartoons, please visit the link and judge for yourselves. Post your opinions in the comments section. I doubt any fair-minded people can disagree much with my numerical breakdown of anti-Alito and pro-Alito cartoons.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Baronius
RJ, political cartoonists are notoriously liberal. I think most of them are people who wanted to be Garry Trudeau when they were kids. I think it's worth distinguishing between editorial liberalism and liberal bias in reporting, although the lines between news and opinion are blurring.
2 - Bryan McKay
"[...] implying he's a racist who has no respect for women and is literally a loincloth-wearing, club-wielding Neanderthal."
That's actually called satire. Metaphor, if you will. I don't think anyone is suggesting that he is "literally" a Neanderthal. Come on, now, even conservatives must understand humor, right?
3 - RJ Elliott
Here's the thing: What is the purpose of a political cartoon? Is it simply so some guy with a pencil and a little artistic talent can vent? Or is it to affect the readers' opinions?
I believe the goal is to influence the opinions of the readers. And, most people have not been following the confirmation hearings very closely. So, when they open the newspaper and see a cartoon making Judge Alito look like a caveman, I think that really does have an impact on some people, and therefore also impacts overall public opinion.
If someone's first impression of Judge Alito is from looking at a newspaper's cartoon, and the cartoon shows him to be the type of guy who carries a spiked club around, or wears a loincloth, or day-dreams about preventing blacks from getting jobs, or wants women to have abortions in an alley, do you suppose that reader's opinion of Alito would be positive or negative?
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
The collection of political cartoonists on Blogcritics screams "conservative bias."
5 - Bryan McKay
"[...] do you suppose that reader's opinion of Alito would be positive or negative?
If someone's first impression of political cartoonists is from looking at a Blogcritics article, and the article depicts those cartoonists "with a pencil and a little artistic talent" making "hateful scribbles, do you suppose that reader's opinion of political cartoonists would be positive or negative?
Matt Sussman's seemingly irreverent comment is actually right on the money. What makes your "hateful scribbles" more valid than anyone else's? What makes "Osama Bin Laden - Terrorist or Democrat?" any more of a valid expression than these cartoons? Equating Democrats with terrorists is a bit more damaging than equating Alito with a caveman, don't you think?
6 - RJ Elliott
"If someone's first impression of political cartoonists is from looking at a Blogcritics article, and the article depicts those cartoonists "with a pencil and a little artistic talent" making "hateful scribbles, do you suppose that reader's opinion of political cartoonists would be positive or negative?"
Negative. What's your point?
As I wrote in my article:
"I have no problem with anti-Alito cartoonists making their little hateful scribbles and getting them printed atop the editorial sections of newspapers across the country." [emphasis mine]
So, you see, I do not have a problem with opinionated people offering their opinions in an effort to change minds.
I am simply pointing out the fact that most big-time political cartoonists present a very liberal point-of-view. And their point-of-view is seen by a whole helluva lot more people than will read this post...
7 - Bryan McKay
Is it a liberal bias that you're observing, or is it a bias towards popular sensationalism? It's a lot easier to generate attention and publicity by characterizing Alito as a caveman. This is nothing new to journalism or the media ar large. It doesn't necessarily follow liberal trends, it follows trends that will shock and scandalize. Clearly it worked, right?
Let me ask you this: which makes you more comfortable? A liberal bias may be a bias that you don't agree with, but presumably it is motivated by good intentions. Although you might not support the liberal agenda, it's at least well-intentioned, right? They think they're doing the right thing. A liberal bias is at least one that is motivated by some real political passion, even if it seems misguided to you.
A sensationalist bias, however, exists only to stir up controversy and sell more papers. The concerns or welfare of the people are secondary to the media moguls and pundits making names for themselves.
This sensationalist bias might lean towards the liberal for now, but recognize that in many cases it isn't motivated by a liberal agenda at all. It is motivated by the bottom line, and that's that.
Now tell me which is a scarier way of thinking about who controls the media?
8 - Bryan McKay
Let me just add the that same website's selection of Brokeback Mountain cartoons as evidence for a sensationalist - as opposited to liberal - slant to the media. Would such a supposedly "liberal" media publish cartoons with such blatantly heterosexist subtext?
9 - Shark
RJ: "...I realize these are just the cartoonists' opinions. They are not supposed to be objective or fair..."
RJ: "...But clearly, this is yet another example (as if rational people needed any more...) of the leftist bias that permeates the mainstream media."
========
Jeeesus. My first response was, "Fuck you" -- but I don't think that succinct and highly appropriate phrase is allowed here in the overtly "liberal" media-land of Blogcritics.
So...
Coupla points:
1) It's hard to watch you take out your brain and play with it in public. You should stick to writing about sports.
2) [you and yer] Conservative CEO/Preachers currently own and run all three branches of U.S. Government. The "liberals" couldn't be more marginalized. When will you stop moaning, RJ? When America looks like the Fourth Reich and liberals are being herded into concentration camps?
3) Liberal media? Dude, you wouldn't know liberal media if it bit you on your fontanelle. I can spit and hit a right wing asshole trotting out the Party Line -- but NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY is expressing Shark's views in public.
4) Oh, and did I mention: They cartoons.
10 - Shark
Oh, and RJ, just a tip (*see also John Bambineck):
*When you write a headline that says:
"Osama Bin Laden: Terrorist or Democrat:"
...IN THE FUTURE, EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS SUSPECT.
11 - Shark
BTW: to any of my fellow radical America haters who read something from RJ and his ilk and are motivated to give up their pussified pacifism and pick up a gun, here's some fun reading from the past -- whereupon Shark parses the Blogcritics radical right-wing Blowhards' techniques -- and addresses the marginalization/future de-lousing of the Liberal Left.
It's called Beating a Dead Donkey ... and hopefully will help relieve your stress...
12 - Dave Nalle
I blame you for making me read all of those cartoons, RJ. The problem isn't that they're left-leaning, the problem is that they're not even vaguely funny. In fact, I can't even figure out how anyone could find more than a couple of them even vaguely amusing, and a good half of them made no sense at all. The quality of political cartoons has really declined.
What's more, several of them depicted Alito as a hideous racial stereotype about as bigoted as I've seen since the days of the Nativists at the turn of the century.
Dave
13 - Neal
What are "viscous" attacks?
14 - Bryan McKay
Attacks with a thick and syrupy consistency, of course.
Perhaps the cartoonists are lobbing buckets of maple syrup at Alito. For shame.
15 - Michael J. West
Re: Shark in Comment 10:
I don't know if *EVERYTHING* RJ writes is suspect.
For example, one could argue that the writer of the headline Osama Bin Laden: Terrorist or Democrat certainly knows a thing or two about "hateful scribbles."
16 - Scott Butki
I'm tempted to write a piece about how I watched Fox News all day and it was all conservatives and that's just not right.
Headline: Fox News Fascists or Republicans? Or both.
17 - gonzo marx
i have a Question on the topic...
does the "media" include AM radio?
we could easily compare the total hours of GOP programming to Air America and friends...guess who wins?
on and on
leave the bullshit and the Myths behind, much of the shyte that tries to pass as "news" is just hype by one or the other of the political "gangs"
it's the bullshit of trying to claim innocence about it while hurling invective at the other "gang" that is really hurting the chances for any kind of meaningful political discourse among us
and that EXACTLY what the operators behind both "gangs" want
otherwise we, the People, might just wake up and toos all the miserable greedheaded pigfuckers feet first into the woodchipper where they belong
then we can take our Nation back, and actually solve some of the Problems facing U.S. rather than exacerbating them just to continue the distractions
wake up folks, fuck the "gangs"...take off the blinders and look directly at the Issues...the REAL ones not the made up ones used to divide us and keep us at each other's throats while the "gangs" steal our Nation and sell it overseas
awww....fuck...
i know i have about as much chance of being heard as a monkey farting into a can of Dr. Pepper has of getting on MTV...
but i can Dream, can't i?
Excelsior!
18 - Scott Butki
I'm sorry but dreaming is prohibited under the Homeland Security Act.
And don't even pretend you're not dreaming - you can get busted for that.
And please help me remove that monkey image from my head before my head explodes.
19 - Bing
Anyone who doesn't think that the mainstream media (CBS, NBC, ABC, and most major newspapers)is far left is a left wing moonbat.
20 - Silas Kain
This left wing moonbat considers the mainstream media to be too ratings and revenue conscious to be of any real use to the public. It's not about news, silly. It's about cash. The Fourth Estate sells out to the highest bidder. The National Enquirer and other supermarket tabloids have paved the way for journalism in the West. What's most sad is that an intelligent people like ourselves have bought into this crap.
21 - troll
I prefer Coventry to the wood chipper
troll
22 - gonzo marx
troll...as usual, i stand corrected...
Coventry would be MUCH better, especially if we set up the cameras and made it a new cable channel...
Survivor:Coventry - the next challenge
the possibilities of cannibalism alone woudl make for great TV
but i digress..
Excelsior!
23 - troll
lol
24 - Silas Kain
Is that Sarah Coventry??
25 - zingzing
bing: "Anyone who doesn't think that the mainstream media (CBS, NBC, ABC, and most major newspapers)is far left is a left wing moonbat."
they aren't FAR left... they may lean left, but they certainly aren't radicals, screaming "damn right" when ALF blows up a research lab or anything.
you confuse all liberals for the far left. it's not right. i asked you once to explain what your problems with liberals are (other than they are "digusting mmonbats" or something), but you declined... or didn't answer... or forgot or something.
by your logic, if all liberals are far left, then all conservatives are fascist dictators. doesn't make much sense, now does it?