The Not So Liberal Media
I have become increasingly aware of complaints about liberal media bias since starting journalism school. The statistics most often cited show the number of journalists who are registered Democrats or identify as liberal.
Now, I am willing to admit many reporters are liberal. But this is not proof of bias, and, most importantly, downplays the role of big business in shaping our media world.
Perhaps the largest factor influencing our press is corporate ownership. In the early ‘80s about 50 companies owned the majority of our news. Thanks to the easing of ownership rules, the number is down to 5. The biggest event in our lifetimes of media deregulation is the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The act gave away the publicly owned digital spectrum to corporations for little to nothing. It also allowed for radio consolidation, paving the way for conservative Clear Channel to buy up over 1200 stations across the country. Media monopolization means there are fewer and fewer people deciding what news is disseminated to the public.
The Internet has increased the number of alternate viewpoints, to be sure, but there has already been action to create a two-tiered Web, where the cost to run on the high-speed spectrum would push most smaller blogs and websites to the digital wilderness.
Another pernicious influence on journalism is adverting. Companies often use the pressure of pulling ads to influence stories they see as hurting their business. We have also seen increasingly “news stories” turned into little more that propaganda pieces. For example, ABCNews.com aired a package about Pearl Harbor before its parent company Disney released the movie. The half-hour Webcast mixed historical footage and interviews with the movie’s director and leading actors.
Building and keeping relationships with power brokers is something all successful journalists have been able to do. But in order to keep these relationships reporters often feel pressure to not write unflattering articles about them. During the lead up to the Iraq war, Judith Miller penned a number of stories reinforcing the White House’s story about Saddam Hussein developing weapons of mass destruction. Miller’s only sources were people within the Executive Branch, like Karl Rove. There is no doubt in my mind she did this to maintain her close ties to those in power. What she gained in access the American people lost in accountability and truthful reporting.
And perhaps the biggest issue facing the American media is not bias but a lack of transparency. Every news source has its own agenda. Being honest about how that agenda influences its stories is paramount. No matter how “objective” a journalist tries to be, their stories will always be shaped — whether consciously or not — by their value system. Through fostering a diversity of voices who are more honest about their perspective, we can at least help the American people get their information from a number of sources from across the political spectrum. For a country that prides itself on an unfettered marketplace, this seems like something every American should agree upon.
