Question from Cheese

[GovermentCheese]

YES!

Believe it or not the sometime ranting and raving Cheese has a real question.
First off let me address this. I thank you guys for tolerating my incompressible outbursts. I know that it is foolhardy and I promise to no longer do such things. I really enjoy it here, and actually it is not for the game play. To me games are just that, they come and go, and they really do not hold my interest that much. Why I like it here so much is that you are some of diverse minds that I have come across in a very long time. I enjoy your banter and it makes me think. I am not very good at any of the games that you guys play here, simply because I just like to play, and I like the commrodiary. So from now on I will show a greater level of respect towards the establishment that I really do honor. Before I asked you to tolerate me, however toleration only can go so far, when responsibility is not adhered to. So I want to thank you all for letting me be me.

I appreciate it.

Now this is my point.

The political process in this country is a very (shall I say) "Sided Event", that meaning we all have our opinions about the various goings on of our government. However there are some things that come up on this forum that I do not get.

Here we go.

Some of you say that the "Liberal Media" well is too liberal. This I do not understand. You see to me News is just, News. And it is up to me to decipher and take in and decide how I process this information. Back to the point, can some of you take the time and explain to me what it is that you mean by a "Liberal Media". Because this I really do not understand.

Is it the way in which the stories are told in conjunction with a spin that supports a pro or con agenda? Or is it a certain agenda that you are not liking that is being told, and the other side (be it con or whatever) is also not being fairly addressed?

Take for instance, Sonic when he speaks on a political agenda sites facts that are mostly in direct quotation of what a person says. In rebuttal I have noticed that sometimes people agree or disagree on the "Context" or shall I say the "Interpretation" (how you and I see it) of these facts.

If the media is too liberal for some, do you not listen? If you do not listen then where is it that you get your information from that helps you formulate your opinions? I only ask because to me again, news is news. Everyone has a spin (as you can tell by my beliefs) on what it is that they see and how they interpret those facts.

I am (believe it or not) a registered card carrying Republican. I am very pro business and believe that there should be a separation between government and individual rights. I do understand that sometimes things do come up where we have to give up certain freedoms for the better good of us all. I am not here (in this thread) to debate on the context of that belief. I also believe that we all have are rights to our opinions, no matter how heated they me be. Yet at this point it seems to me that this country is more polarized and divided along the segmentation of politics that has not been seen in many, many years.

I guess that is why I would just like to have a few more facts that concern and point to the nature of beliefs than to just point a finger and say, "well so and so did this and so and so did that".

Lastly, there are very few things that I have been afraid of in life. Yet ironically I will say that back in 2000 I went to a fund raiser for Bush 43 and I saw how people were so entrenched in a political ideology that it really scared the heck out of me, so I left the rally. I at the time had just never seen such fervor for something or someone like that before. I know that it may be kind of crazy that being a African American guy that I am a republican, but like I said I am very pro-business and I like the notion of free enterprise. That is why I am Republican. But enough about my beliefs, I would just like to have the liberal media aspect of my question addressed and perhaps someone could point me to other avenues to get information from that they feel is not so liberal in it's reporting context.

Thanks fellas

-Cheese-

[[AK]The Beast]

For a great example of what we mean by "liberal media", I recommend two very good books, "Bias" and "Arrogance", both by Bernard Goldberg. Goldberg is himself a liberal and formerly worked for CBS News. He explains how a good portion of the national media puts a left-wing slant on the news through the phrases that they use in their reports as well as through the type of stories they choose to report (or not report).

[[AK]Squidly]

Check out That Liberal Media.

It's not only what they report, it's what they neglect to report. When you only show one particular aspect of a story, you frame the discussion. A lot of positive is happening in Iraq, and we're seeing almost none of it.

[[AK]Abaddon]

It's what they report, how they phrase it, and who they choose to interview.

For instance, if I was a typical left-wing schmuck doing a story on gun control - I would look up sources that agreed with my preconceptions. I would then interview a well-spoken college professor for the anti-gun side, and go down to the local bar to interview a dumb redneck for the pro-gun side (rather than an academic with opposing views). It's all about the sources they choose to ignore.

I was in the newspaper business for a while, and saw my fellow reporters doing these things.

[[AK]Palooka]

I just finished Arrogance a few weeks ago. I liked it more than Bias, which was a bit to whiny and self-serving.

[[AK]Palooka]

Another indication of bias is the utter domination of newsrooms by liberal Democrats. There is absolutely no attempt to hire journalists with diverse world views or political ideologies. The leftists in the media and our universities only celebrate racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.

Read this for more.

[[AK]Abaddon]

I don't think there's a usually a political litmus test to be a reporter ... I think it has more to do with the fact that conservatives are smart enough to work in fields where they can make a lot of money.

[[AK]Pops Murphy]

Here are the results of a new survey conducted by a leading Newpaper Journal (Pew Survey) that might help in understanding the bias of the press.
There has been and always will be bias in reporting. For example, which statement do you agree with: Many Americans fault Bush War Strategy or Most Americans Support Bush War Strategy. Suppose the "real" fact is 85% of Americans Support Bush War, while neither statement is incorrect they both show bias. The placement of news stories; first, last, above or below the fold can also help the viewer/reader become aware of the bias of the particular company or editoial staff reporting the news. Never 100% believe what you read or hear. Everyone is bias and the person who isn't believes in nothing.

[[AK]Squidly]

More on media bias.

[[AK]Devil_Dog]

I know that it may be kind of crazy that being a African American guy that I am a republican, but like I said I am very pro-business and I like the notion of free enterprise. That is why I am Republican. But enough about my beliefs, I would just like to have the liberal media aspect of my question addressed and perhaps someone could point me to other avenues to get information from that they feel is not so liberal in it's reporting context.

GC, I truly understand what your saying, and quite frankly this is another reason why the Liberals upset me so much. It seems like you are set up to be some sort of traitor or Uncle Tom if you are part of the Republican Party and the color of your skin is not white!! If you think Rice was not attacked in part because she is of African descent then let me tell you that it is so. Liberals love to paint the picture of conservatives being racial. The truth is Republicans are color blind. I could care less what color you are, it's more important to me if your for this country or against it. And, believe me the Liberal Media is against it.
I disagreed with some of Colin Powell's stances on foreign policy, but I would vote for him if he ever ran for the top spot. I think he would be good for this country. More so then that I would love to see how the Liberals would paint him as an Uncle Tom. That man is a true Patriot.

[[AK]Squidly]

Slanted

[GovermentCheese]

GC, I truly understand what your saying, and quite frankly this is another reason why the Liberals upset me so much. It seems like you are set up to be some sort of traitor or Uncle Tom if you are part of the Republican Party and the color of your skin is not white!! If you think Rice was not attacked in part because she is of African descent then let me tell you that it is so. Liberals love to paint the picture of conservatives being racial. The truth is Republicans are color blind. I could care less what color you are, it's more important to me if your for this country or against it. And, believe me the Liberal Media is against it.

I can dig what you are saying and I never had a problem with the sort of situation of being a Republican of color I do get surprising looks sometimes because well most people believe that most people of color are going to be Democrats. I just felt that I wanted to make my own choice instead of having the choice made for me in some way or another.

[GovermentCheese]

It's what they report, how they phrase it, and who they choose to interview.

For instance, if I was a typical left-wing schmuck doing a story on gun control - I would look up sources that agreed with my preconceptions. I would then interview a well-spoken college professor for the anti-gun side, and go down to the local bar to interview a dumb redneck for the pro-gun side (rather than an academic with opposing views). It's all about the sources they choose to ignore.

I was in the newspaper business for a while, and saw my fellow reporters doing these things.

That is the kind of explination that I was looking for! Thanks.

[[AK]Leonidas]

I don't think there's a usually a political litmus test to be a reporter ... I think it has more to do with the fact that conservatives are smart enough to work in fields where they can make a lot of money.

You don't need big dramatic instances of discrimination in journalism to demonstrate the problem. Journalism as an industry only needs to give the impression that conservatives will be mistreated, and they'll stay away on their own.

I would love to work in academia, but the risks of political discrimination are too great. There's no way I'm going to uproot my family and throw away years of my life just to find out whether the liberals in academia are just as narrow-minded today as they were when I was in school. The mere fact that academicians, like journalists, refuse to even discuss issues of their own political bias and discrimination is all the evidence I need to stay away from them, and to tell other conservatives to do the same.

Once they start pledging political neutrality, then maybe the risk is worthwhile. Maybe. Until then, a conservative would be absolutely foolish to train and apply for jobs in journalism or academia.

[[AK]Palooka]

A Measure of Media Bias