Well, once again the conservatives are starting the mantra of the "liberal media".
If you read the headline from AP, Study: Democrats Get More A.M. Airtime, you can imagine there's some credibility to the report. It's a study, right?
Well, just like the headline is a tease, I'll put the details below the fold.
First, the link below is to FoxNews.com, but I specifically linked to the printer-friendly page. I mean, it's Fox News! Yuck! But, I hope there are fewer cookies and other nasty things on the printer-friendly page. At least you don't have to look at their ads!
FOXNews.com
Study: Democrats Get More A.M. Airtime
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
NEW YORK -- A conservative media watchdog organization charged Wednesday that the network morning news shows have spent considerably more time this year on Democrats running for president than on Republicans.
Network news executives rejected any suggestion of bias, and said they have a considerably harder time getting Republican candidates to appear on their shows.
Well, that explains some of it; it's the conservatives complaining again. What else?
"The double standard has got to stop," said L. Brent Bozell, the group's founder.
Okay, there's the real kicker! Old Brent Bozell, complaining about anything that doesn't fit into his neat little world. Does he have some solid facts??
The disparity was most pronounced in January, with 52 stories on the Democratic campaign and five for the Republicans. That's the month that the campaign rivalry between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama began.
News executives say they strive for fairness, but the Clinton-Obama January jockeying is an example of how news drives their airtime decisions.
So, if two Republicans campaigns were throwing jabs at each other, it wouldn't be reported?? Well, it depends on which two. Would anyone care if Paul and Huckabee were having a cat fight?
Stories about the cancer relapse of Democrat John Edwards' wife Elizabeth were also counted in the total. It's unfair to count a personal story like that in a tally that suggests bias, said Jim Murphy, executive producer of ABC's "Good Morning America."
Aha! There's a valid "political" story; Elizabeth Edwards' cancer relapse! Oh, wait; the conservatives were sure this was a plot by the Edwards campaign to get attention for their candidate.
The news executives also said Democratic candidates have been far more willing to appear on their programs than Republicans.
There's a shocker!
"The candidates are responsible for how much time they generally get," (Jim) Murphy, (executive producer of ABC's "Good Morning America.") said. "They can get it by agreeing to interviews and agreeing to forums."
Bozell conceded that Republicans have shown a more pronounced reluctance to go on the air.
Gee; I wonder why?
Bozell said the performances of "Today," "Good Morning America" and "The Early Show" on CBS should be watched closely because of their importance in reaching more than 10 million viewers each day.
While Fox and Friends can reach, what, 50,000? No, no, don't look over there! We will tell you what to be upset about!
More BS from the conservatives. Show the facts, Bozell, and let us decide. Oh, that's right; you like to decide for us.