Liberal media: check. Please.
Veddy interesting stuff here:
In that regard, the poll finds that many journalists especially those in the national media believe that the press has not been critical enough of President Bush. Majorities of print and broadcast journalists at national news organizations believe the press has been insufficiently critical of the administration. Many local print journalists concur. This is a minority opinion only among local news executives and broadcast journalists. While the press gives itself about the same overall grade for its coverage of George W. Bush as it did nine years ago for its coverage of Bill Clinton (B- among national journalists, C+ from local journalists), the criticism in 1995 was that the press was focusing too much on Clinton’s problems, and too little on his achievements.
Clueless, that’s what. Stunningly, stupefyingly so.
Not only do many national news people believe the press has gone too soft in its coverage of President Bush, they express considerably less confidence in the political judgment of the American public than they did five years ago. Since 1999, the percentage saying they have a great deal of confidence in the public’s election choices has fallen from 52% to 31% in the national sample of journalists.
In other words, all that bleating about the importance of “democracy” you hear from journalists now and then? Well, umm, never mind. The payoff pitch? Here:
Journalists at national and local news organizations are notably different from the general public in their ideology and attitudes toward political and social issues. Most national and local journalists, as well as a plurality of Americans (41%), describe themselves as political moderates. But news people especially national journalists are more liberal, and far less conservative, than the general public.
About a third of national journalists (34%) and somewhat fewer local journalists (23%) describe themselves as liberals; that compares with 19% of the public in a May survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. Moreover, there is a relatively small number of conservatives at national and local news organizations. Just 7% of national news people and 12% of local journalists describe themselves as conservatives, compared with a third of all Americans.
Not that their liberalism would ever, ever show up in their work; oh no, Precious. And Patterico notes:
An interesting (if predictable) detail of the study: the answers to specific “issues” questions show that journalists are more liberal than they admit. Whereas most continue to self-identify as “moderate,” the answers given to specific questions about religion and homosexuality indicate a strong tilt to the left. This reinforces what many of us believe: journalists think they are far more moderate than they actually are.
Well, hey, even Stalin might look “moderate” if you skooch over far enough to the Left, you know.
- Entries
If journalists suffer a backlash it will be a tragedy for the country and for liberty in the world. The continuing failure of the media to realize that they have lost the trust of the public is going to create that backlash. The American people are patient and basically lazy on political issues, but when they have had enough the result is volcanic. Even a degree from an "elite" journalism school will do you much good when no one believes a word you say.