Is America's Media "Liberal" or "Conservative?"
By Ralph Smith
Monday, May 24, 2004
Do liberals or conservatives dominate the news media?FedSmith.com readers brought this issue up a number of times recently in comments submitted in response to an article we posted last week. (The article on "Selecting Articles for FedSmith.com" is here. The readers comments are at the bottom of the page or you can go directly to the comments for that article right here.
The topic is one that generates opinions but not a lot of facts in support of the argument.
Coincidentally, a new poll has just been released on the subject of whether the media provides more favorable coverage to "liberal" or "conservative" views.
The Pew Research Center says that 33% of Americans describe themselves as conservative and 20% describe themselves as liberal. Among journalists, however, 34% describe themselves as liberal and 7% describe themselves as conservative.
These distinctions based on political leanings are also reflected in reaction to social issues. According to Pew, about 60% of the general public believes it is necessary to believe in God to be a truly moral person. In contract, the Pew survey finds that less than 15% of journalists also believe this. And, in another example, about 50% of the American public believes homosexuality should be accepted by society -- but about 80% of journalists believe it should be accepted.
You can read the survey results from the link on the left hand side of the page.
Feel free to voice your own opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
© 2010 FedSmith Inc. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced without express written consent of FedSmith Inc.
|
Readers' Comments
Posted: August 11, 2004 8:42 AM
Posted: August 11, 2004 7:13 AM
Posted: August 9, 2004 9:13 AM
View All Comments »