Opinion Forum

Lefty Media Bias? Say It Ain’t So!

July 23rd, 2010

I tune in to Rush Limbaugh every couple weeks or so. Earlier this week, he was nearly apoplectic over more discovered left-wing media bias. I had no idea what had set him off because he’s always railing against left-wing media bias. Well, I subscribe to The Media Research Center and get e-mails from them daily. Today I got an e-mail with a subject line of “NPR Producer Would Revel in Watching Limbaugh Die.”

“OK,” says I, “maybe this is what set Rush off this week.”

At issue is the JournoList e-mail listserv and the way it has been used by Democrats and liberals to coordinate attacks on Republican and conservative politicians and pundits. Rush has yakked for years about leftist talking points. Michael Savage is downright rude with what he calls “seminar callers.” Apparently, JournoList is where many of these talking points come from.

I’m not opposed to people bouncing ideas off of each other, but how does devising a strategy to ruin the McCain-Palin ticket comport with what should otherwise be known as journalism? Apparently, part of their strategy by these “journalists” was to discredit Palin for choosing to have a child with Down’s Syndrome rather than having an abortion. I don’t care what anyone’s thoughts on abortion are, that is simply out of bounds for professional journalism.

That then-candidates Obama or Clinton might instruct their teams to figure out a way to destroy McCain-Palin is expected. That credentialed journalists would be doing it is sickening. And before any lefty has a fit about me crying over spilled milk, know that I voted for Bob Barr (the Libertarian Party nominee).

It gets even better. Apparently, there was a plan afoot to knowingly and falsely accuse Republicans and conservatives of racism in an attempt to deflect any negative attention away from Obama’s relationship with Jeremiah Wright. Again, that Obama’s team might have done this would have been expected. But the fact is that Obama’s association with Wright is (or at least was) news and should have been covered by everybody, not covered up with a pack of bald-faced lies and distortions.

Everybody has a right to a political opinion. But, no journalist should be in the business of partisanship. Some on the right do it, but it seems to just be part and parcel of the way liberal journalists do business. I won’t rehash everything that’s been going on, but here’s a link to NewsBusters’ website. You can get a better picture of what’s been going on there than you can from me.

And before anyone gets their knickers in a twist over Fox News, the one thing I will say about that organization is that they do not pretend to be anything other than conservative/libertarian. The same cannot be said of the rest of the “news” outlets.

Articles written by Brian Bagent
Tags: distortion, JournoList, leftist, lies, media bias, Palin, partisan, racism, Wright
Categories: Media, News, Politics | Comments (14) | Home

14 Responses to “Lefty Media Bias? Say It Ain’t So!”

Brianna Aubin | July 23rd, 2010 at 11:19 am

The best stories are actually on the Daily Caller, which has been dribbling them out bit by bit for about the last week.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/22/when-mccain-picked-palin-liberal-journalists-coordinated-the-best-line-of-attack/

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/22/letter-from-editor-in-chief-tucker-carlson-on-the-daily-callers-journolist-coverage/

Turns out Olbermann annoys liberals nearly as much as he annoys us
http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/23/journolisters-offended-by-keith-olbermanns-%E2%80%98misogynistic%E2%80%99-%E2%80%98predictable%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98pompous%E2%80%99-show/

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/22/journolist-legitimizes-corrupt-media-claims/

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/21/obama-wins-and-journolisters-rejoice/

larry ennis | July 24th, 2010 at 6:41 am

Why is it that these revelations of media bias come as a surprise?
When many including myself,Glenn Beck,and Fox News pointed out the obvious media bias, we were called conspiracy nuts.
Isn’t amazing how clear everything becomes once you get your head out of your bleep.

Tom Carter | July 24th, 2010 at 10:53 am

Larry, you and Glenn Beck and Fox News are hardly the only people who know there is bias in the media. It’s been discussed for years by just about everyone. In the articles on Opinion Forum (including mine) from the very beginning, there has been frequent discussion of media bias. No one ever called you a conspiracy nut because you, like everyone else, noticed that there is bias in the media — both liberal and conservative, by the way. To the extent you were ever called a “conspiracy nut,” it was because you were stating or vaguely hinting with arched eyebrow at what could only be called nutty conspiracy theories.

Brian Bagent | July 24th, 2010 at 12:20 pm

Tom, apparently the only people that cannot see that there’s a left-tilt to the MSM are, to use Vladimir Lenin’s turn of phrase, “useful idiots.”

Tom Carter | July 24th, 2010 at 1:21 pm

I have to ask, Brian — what’s the term for people who can’t see the right-wing bias in some parts of the media? Granted, most of the MSM leans left; that’s been obvious for a very long time. But there are media sources that are equally biased toward the right — Fox News, talk radio in general, The Washington Times, etc. The problem is, ideologues on both sides can’t see the bias in information they agree with. Glenn Beck, for example, is as biased as a human being could possibly be, in addition to being intentionally misleading, but nevertheless there are millions of right-wingers glued to their TV sets every time his show is on, nodding their heads like car puppets at his every utterance.

What is really lacking among large parts of the populace on both the left and right is critical thinking, open-mindedness, education, and knowledge.

larry ennis | July 24th, 2010 at 2:15 pm

Tom
Sometimes I’m tempted to just say the hell with it and give up.
Have you even read the material than Brian has linked to his article? A total of 400 e-mails from this group will soon be available to the public.
It don’t take a rocket scientist to deduct that these lefties were out to use the First Amendment to destroy anyone they disagreed with. The attacks on Sarah Palins entire family is only one example of their journalistic dirt throwing.

Tom Carter | July 24th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

I did, in fact, read the material and much more on the subject. Lefties and righties alike use their rights and privileges as Americans to abuse and vilify those they disagree with. You really need to read more, Larry; it’s the best antidote to mindless extremism.

You said “It don’t take a rocket scientist….” to know what the left is trying to do. I’d respond that it do take an open mind and some knowledge of the issues to understand that it’s done by extremists on both sides.

Brian Bagent | July 24th, 2010 at 5:52 pm

Tom, as I said, FNC and talk radio make no bones about their politics and are quite open about their views. None of them pretend to be other than what they are.

In contrast, the MSM pretends to be mainstream, but is in fact anything but mainstream. They pretend to be apolitical, all the while condescending to anything or anyone that is to the right of Mao.

Tom Carter | July 24th, 2010 at 6:53 pm

I agree that some conservative media are up-front about their biases, while much of the MSM thinks they’re just, well, mainstream. However, there are important degrees of difference between specific media organs. The Washington Post, for example, is generally much more objective than The New York Times. The only way to achieve anything like “fair and balanced” news and information is to read a variety of sources, assuming one knows enough to identify biases in the media. Sadly, extremists generally stick to only the information sources they agree with (this most notably includes Glenn Beck’s nodding bobble heads). This is a major reason why those of the far left and far right can come up with the absurd conspiracy theories they cling to.

d | July 25th, 2010 at 10:33 am

Tom,I know you are gonna hate this,but I agree with you completely. There is so much right wing media,espially on the radio,it is hard to hear anything else. Both sides have extremes and both sides are biased,if one agrees with it,it isn’t out there or a conspiracy theory,just the truth.:-)

Brian | July 25th, 2010 at 11:54 am

Doris, for the 3rd time on this thread, nobody is denying that there are right-wing media outlets, but I can’t think of any that do not openly acknowledge their politics. In short, the right-wing media are honest and up front about where they stand on things.

In contrast, the leftist media (both print and broadcast), and there is WAY, WAY, WAY more of that, pretends that they are apolitical, that they are centrist, that they are mainstream, that they have no favorites. In short, with scant few exceptions, the MSM, left-oriented media, lies and lies and lies and lies some more about nearly everything. The MSM is utterly dishonest about what they represent, consequently, nothing they say can be trusted without lots of verification, though it would have you believe that it is absolutely beyond reproach because it is “apolitical.”

The absolute worst of the entire bunch, going back 30 or 40 years, was the leftist Walter Cronkite.

Tom Carter | July 25th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

Funny you should mention Walter Cronkite. He’s always been one of my heroes. I once had lunch with him in a small group of 8-10 people. We all got a chance to talk to him and ask questions, and it was clear that he strongly supported and respected the military and loved his country as much as anyone at the table. He may have been a liberal, but he was one of those older liberals who lived through WWII (and in his case, was there as a war correspondent). There’s no comparing him to most of the current crop of journalists. He certainly wasn’t the worst of any “bunch,” and he can’t be fairly described as a “leftist.”

d | July 26th, 2010 at 10:24 am

O.M.G. Brian,and the right wing media does not lie. Roflmao. You truly wear rose,no,right wing,colored glasses. All media lies. Most stuff,everywhere,even on the precious computer of yours,including your links,lie. It is all slanted,toward the views of the person telling the “truth”. We must sort through a lot of sows ears, to find the silk purse,in all things.

Dan Miller | July 29th, 2010 at 2:57 pm

Someone please correct me if I am wrong — and I very well may be because I haven’t the ability to watch U.S. television or to read U.S. newspapers other than via their websites. However, I seem to recall a time when news and opinion were different; editorials were editorials and news was news. A problem arises when they are commingled, and in my perhaps distorted view that’s becoming more common; the distinction needs to be kept firmly in mind.

Another problem is the selective reporting of news, and that’s a biggie. I have a sense that some hard news stories simply are not reported much because if they were there would likely be political repercussions for the parties and candidates favored by the news agencies. Others seem to be repeated constantly, for their negative impact.

The Internet is probably the best source for both news and opinion, and I find it easier to filter out opinion in print than when using other sources. Talk radio is very much available via Internet, and I’ve been interviewed on three stations this year by phone about various of my articles. They were pretty
“right wing” stations, and there was some disagreement with my opinions. However, the interviewers were very courteous and there was no screaming, shouting or cutting off of my responses. That said, talk radio is hardly a source of news, as distinguished from opinion.

In addition to news oriented sites on the Internet, there are many blogs and, after a few visits, it is easy to figure out their biases and to evaluate their stories accordingly.