The myth of the liberal media

Bernards Goldberg's book, "Bias" seems to have a few factual shortcomings.

In interviews on major networks, Goldberg has emphasized his book's charge that American media outlets are typically in step with the biased practices he noticed at CBS News -- where "we pointedly identified conservatives as conservatives, for example, but for some crazy reason didn't bother to identify liberals as liberals."

But do facts support Goldberg's undocumented generalization? To find out, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg searched a database of 30 large daily newspapers in the United States. He disclosed the results in an analysis that aired March 19 on the national radio program "Fresh Air."

Nunberg discovered "a big disparity in the way the press labels liberals and conservatives -- but not in the direction that Goldberg claims." Actually, the data showed, "the average liberal legislator has a 30 percent greater likelihood of being identified with a partisan label than the average conservative does."

When Nunberg narrowed his search to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times -- three dailies "routinely accused of having a liberal bias" -- he learned that "in those papers, too, liberals get partisan labels 30 percent more often than conservatives do, the same proportion as in the press at large."

The above from [link|http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12667|Alternet]

The following is a discussion forum post I have not been able to find the source of yet, so let's attribute it to the old fathful; anonymous.

Bernard Goldberg has written an expose on the liberal media entitled, "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News." This is a good example of smart writing and even better marketing. If Goldberg had written the truth, that the media is nothing but right-wing pimps working for Bush, it would sell about as many copies as "Fortunate Son" and be withdrawn from book stores right away. But since he's selling the lie that left-wingers control the media, something very different will happen to Mr. Goldberg and his book.He'll get to go on:

The Rush Limbaugh show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Bill O'Reilly show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Sean Hannity show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Eva Von Zahn show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Beltway Boys, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Brit Hume show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Tony Snow show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Juan Williams show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Mara Liason show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The McLaughlin Group, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Chris the Screamer show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The G. Gordon Liddy show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Laura Schlessinger show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Michael Medved show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Sam & Cokie show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
Meet the Press with Tim Russert, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The John Hockenberry show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Ollie North show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Neil Boortz show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Robert Novak show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Paul Weyrich show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Brian Williams show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Wolf Blitzer show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The Don Imus show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
The John Stossel show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.
Reliable Sources with Howie Kurtz, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media.

Then: David Horowitz will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Maureen Dowd will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Ann Coulter will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Laura Ingraham will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Peggy Noonan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
William Safire will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Andrew (bareback) Sullivan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
David Limbaugh will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Jonah Goldberg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Mona Charen will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Linda Chavez will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
John Fund will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Paul Greenburg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Jeff Jacoby will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
D.(ick) Morris will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Thomas Sowell will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Cal Thomas will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Walter Williams will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Mort Zuckerman will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Brent Bozell will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
William F Buckley will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Neil Cavuto will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
David Hackworth will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Charles Krauthammer will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
William Raspberry will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Phyllis Schlafly will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
George Will will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Matt Drudge will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Luci (The Bat) Goldberg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Michael Barone will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Lawrence Kudlow will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Marlin Fitzwater will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Pat Buchanan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Ari Fleisher will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Christopher Hitchens will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Rich Lowry will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.
Kate O'Beirne will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media.

Isn't it a shame that the radical right-wing has no way to get its message out? . . . and Mr. Goldberg? He's going to make millions selling red meat to the dittoheads.

Post #33,353 by Silverlock 3/25/02 10:36:51 AM Reply	The myth of the liberal media Bernards Goldberg's book, "Bias" seems to have a few factual shortcomings. In interviews on major networks, Goldberg has emphasized his book's charge that American media outlets are typically in step with the biased practices he noticed at CBS News -- where "we pointedly identified conservatives as conservatives, for example, but for some crazy reason didn't bother to identify liberals as liberals." But do facts support Goldberg's undocumented generalization? To find out, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg searched a database of 30 large daily newspapers in the United States. He disclosed the results in an analysis that aired March 19 on the national radio program "Fresh Air." Nunberg discovered "a big disparity in the way the press labels liberals and conservatives -- but not in the direction that Goldberg claims." Actually, the data showed, "the average liberal legislator has a 30 percent greater likelihood of being identified with a partisan label than the average conservative does." When Nunberg narrowed his search to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times -- three dailies "routinely accused of having a liberal bias" -- he learned that "in those papers, too, liberals get partisan labels 30 percent more often than conservatives do, the same proportion as in the press at large." The above from [link\|http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12667\|Alternet] The following is a discussion forum post I have not been able to find the source of yet, so let's attribute it to the old fathful; anonymous. Bernard Goldberg has written an expose on the liberal media entitled, "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News." This is a good example of smart writing and even better marketing. If Goldberg had written the truth, that the media is nothing but right-wing pimps working for Bush, it would sell about as many copies as "Fortunate Son" and be withdrawn from book stores right away. But since he's selling the lie that left-wingers control the media, something very different will happen to Mr. Goldberg and his book.He'll get to go on: The Rush Limbaugh show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Bill O'Reilly show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Sean Hannity show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Eva Von Zahn show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Beltway Boys, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Brit Hume show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Tony Snow show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Juan Williams show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Mara Liason show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The McLaughlin Group, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Chris the Screamer show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The G. Gordon Liddy show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Laura Schlessinger show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Michael Medved show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Sam & Cokie show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. Meet the Press with Tim Russert, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The John Hockenberry show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Ollie North show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Neil Boortz show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Robert Novak show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Paul Weyrich show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Brian Williams show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Wolf Blitzer show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The Don Imus show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. The John Stossel show, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. Reliable Sources with Howie Kurtz, where they'll say conservatives have no voice in the media. Then: David Horowitz will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Maureen Dowd will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Ann Coulter will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Laura Ingraham will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Peggy Noonan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. William Safire will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Andrew (bareback) Sullivan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. David Limbaugh will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Jonah Goldberg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Mona Charen will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Linda Chavez will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. John Fund will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Paul Greenburg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Jeff Jacoby will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. D.(ick) Morris will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Thomas Sowell will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Cal Thomas will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Walter Williams will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Mort Zuckerman will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Brent Bozell will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. William F Buckley will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Neil Cavuto will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. David Hackworth will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Charles Krauthammer will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. William Raspberry will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Phyllis Schlafly will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. George Will will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Matt Drudge will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Luci (The Bat) Goldberg will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Michael Barone will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Lawrence Kudlow will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Marlin Fitzwater will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Pat Buchanan will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Ari Fleisher will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Christopher Hitchens will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Rich Lowry will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Kate O'Beirne will write a column saying conservatives have no voice in the media. Isn't it a shame that the radical right-wing has no way to get its message out? . . . and Mr. Goldberg? He's going to make millions selling red meat to the dittoheads. The best scale for an experimental design is ten millimeters to the centimeter.
Post #33,427 by tonytib 3/25/02 8:44:36 PM Reply	Before Nunberg's "analysis" has any credibility everyone will have to agree exactly where all the people referred to (in the newspaper) fit in the categories, e.g.: -- extreme left -- liberal -- moderate / center -- conservative -- extreme right Person A can feel that Politician A is "moderate", while person B says they are "extreme ________". So if these people do the same study, they'll come up with, well, very different results. And we'll all agree on this about the same time pigs sprout wings. Tony
Post #33,431 by CRConrad 3/25/02 8:59:55 PM Reply	Oh, come the fsck on! Even I, over here on the right side of the Pond, know most of those names and their political affiliations. If somebody thought that, e.g, Pat Buchanan or G. Gordon Goddamn Liddy, ferchrissake!, were "extreme left" -- should such an obviously nutball opinion influence the at least semblance of a rational discussion we're having here? To think so, one would have to be almost as much of a nutball oneself, AFAICS. Christian R. Conrad Of course, who am I to point fingers? I'm in the "Information Technology" business, prima facia evidence that there's bats in the bell tower. -- [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=27764\|Andrew Grygus]
Post #33,437 by tonytib 3/25/02 10:16:55 PM Reply	Do some reading, CRC The linked article does not give ANY details on exactly how Nunberg characterized individual politicians. All it mentions are a couple actors, and I don't know (or care) enough about their politics to kow if I'd agree. And, you completely missed my point -- no one will ever "scientifically prove" bias or the lack thereof. A related point is that this should've been posted in politics, since this is a political question, not here. So, I'll do my part and won't contribute any more to the making the Open Forum the second political forum. Tony
Post #33,470 by boxley 3/26/02 11:02:30 AM Reply	I think the article is misguided Is there a lot of right wing shows in the cable industry? Yes. What is the audience share compared to broadcast, pretty small. The broadcast network news has a bias but not an agenda. If Joe schmoo broadcaster has a story about women, he approaches NOW national org for women for a balanced viewpoint without realizing that NOW is not a centric organization. The major newsies think that what we in the netherland of the country call leftist organisations are centered in the middle and quote them as such. That is where the media bias comes in. thanx, bill TAM ARIS QUAM ARMIPOTENS
Post #33,505 by CRConrad 3/26/02 3:15:22 PM Reply	What if it's they who are right, and you who are wrong? Given what everybody else in the world knows for a fact -- namely that the average American is politically somewhere slightly to the right of Attila the Hun -- that seems eminently plausible... Christian R. Conrad Of course, who am I to point fingers? I'm in the "Information Technology" business, prima facia evidence that there's bats in the bell tower. -- [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=27764\|Andrew Grygus]
Post #33,506 by boxley 3/26/02 3:19:19 PM Reply	more rednecks than alan aldas over here. TAM ARIS QUAM ARMIPOTENS

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