The right claims that the news media are inherently "liberal..."

[Writer]

The left claims that the news media are corporate-owned, and therefore, conservative.


WHO'S CORRECT AND WHY?

[Eric J in MN]

1. Ownership is 9/10ths of the law.

Big corporations own NBC, CBS, ABC, and (drumroll) Fox.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Look at the amount of conservative opinion on TV

...vs the amount of liberal opinion on TV.

Do it in terms of hosts.

Do it in terms of the guests on "Hardball" and those types of shows.

You'll find that conservative opinion is much more prevalent on TV.

[Arkham House]

3. Since the Right are morons...

...I'd suggest that the Left is a wee bit closer to the truth. This all goes back to the 60s--the "liberal" press was right on Civil Rights, right about McCarthy--to go back a bit further...right about Nixon and Watergate...above all, right about Vietnam...and the Right will never forgive them for it. When they whine about the "liberal" media, what they really mean is that the press still believes in liberal democracy--and they, the Right, no longer do...

[ellenfl]

4. i had this discussion with a friend (who no

longer speaks to me) who is one of the 23% true believers. she was convinced that the media was liberal and asked me why i thought otherwise. i told her because none of the msm represents my views. i think that surprised her but she couldn't rebut that . . . but she wouldn't know otherwise because she only watches faux news, anyway.

the truth is that the only talking heads who i feel aren't right-leaning are ko,
tds and colbert. i do occasionally applaud dobbs when he is ranting about the death of the middle class or voting fraud.

ellen fl

[obreaslan]

5. Well, let's look....

Here's your liberal media:

List from http://www.oreilly-sucks.com/News/mediafacts2.htm

Joe Scarborough (TV)
Dick Armey (TV)
Michael Savage (TV)
Pat Buchanan (TV, P)
Robert Novak (TV, P)
William Buckley (TV, P)
Cal Thomas (P)
Paul Gigot (TV, P)
Pat Robertson (TV)
Jerry Falewell (TV)
John Gibson (TV)
Charles Krauthammer (P)
John Leo (P)
James J. Kilpatrick (P)
Ben Wattenberg (TV, P)
Armstrong Williams (TV, R, P)
Thomas Sowell (P)
Fred Barnes (TV)
G. Gordon Liddy (R)
Michael Reagan (R)
James Dobson (R)
James Pinkerton (P)
Suzanne Fields (P)
Bob Grant (R)
George Will (TV, P)
Rush Limbaugh (R)
William Safire (P)
William Kristol (TV)
Bay Buchanan (TV)
John McLaughlin (TV)
Oliver North (TV, R)
Kate O'Beirne (TV)
Linda Chavez (P)
Tony Snow (TV, P)
James Glassman (TV, P)
Robert Bartley (P)
Mona Charen (P)
Laura Ingraham (TV)
John Stossel (TV)
Ken Hamblin (R)
Michael Barone (P)
Maggie Gallagher (P)
Sean Hannity (TV, R)
Bill O'Reilly (TV)
R. Emmett Tyrrell (P)
Tucker Carlson (TV)
Ann Coulter (TV, P)
Brit Hume (TV)
Chris Matthews (TV)
Don Imus (TV, R)
Brent Bozell (TV, P)
Larry Elder (TV, P, R)
Jonah Goldberg (TV, P)
Jack Kemp (TV, P)
Larry Kudlow (TV, P)
Michelle Malkin (TV, P)
Debbie Schlussel (TV, P)

*(TV = television, P = print, R = radio)

Some actual liberals, although some still suspect.

Mark Shields (TV)
Bill Moyers (TV)
Ellen Goodman (TV)
Frank Rich (P)
Bill Press (TV, P)
Dan Rather (TV)
Michael Kinsley (TV, P)
Peter Jennings (TV)
Molly Ivans (P)
Joe Conason (P)
Arianna Huffington (TV, P)
Gene Lyons (P)
Jim Hightower (TV, P)
Eric Alterman (TV, P)
Margaret Carlson (TV)
Bob Beckel (TV)
Paul Begala (TV, P)
Jonathon Alter (TV, P)
Larry King (TV, P, R)

I think we can decide if the media is actually liberal....

[Fierce]

6. There was a study a few years ago...

...and I'm sorry, but I can't remember who did it (Pew?), that surveyed the newsrooms at (how many?) newspapers, and it found that the vast majority of reporters and copy editors tended to be liberal, while the vast majority of editors (managing, executive and editorial page), publishers and owners tended to be conservative.

When it comes to commentators/columnists, check the list above.

[Mz Pip]

7. If the media were liberal

then one could argue it would have some influence on the electorate. With the Republicans in control of the WH the Senate and the Houseit appears that the liberal media has no influence what so ever.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[KKKarl is an idiot]

8. Most of those radio talk show hosts

spout of about the so called "liberal media". But the truth is that the media tends to be more conservative because of this view point. Most people who say the MSM is liberal are listening to Rush, Hannity, Boortz, Savage, BOR et al. Mediamatters.org has consistently shown conservative leanings of the NYT, which the conservatives believe is the most liberal newspaper on the planet.

http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/outlets/thenewyorktimes