It just won't go away -- as conservatives continue to complain that our country's mainstream media treats them and their message unfairly. Only one thing wrong...it isn't true!
Why "again?" Because I and others have written endlessly about the totally unfounded claim that the media in America is tilted toward liberal reporting; yet that claim continues to keep coming up like a bad meal. So, let's examine the facts of this claim -- again -- with some current data, and see if we can shed a bright light on who really owns and operates the media in our country. Perhaps the results will not only enlighten you, but also surprise you with some media facts beyond purely partisan ones.
Let's start with newspapers. To begin with, the influence of hard copy newspapers is clearly on the wane. Moreover, because they are local, their editorial policies are all over the board...from left to right. Having said that, most major market papers are owned by huge corporations (more about that later); thus, they are hardly liberal lapdogs. Ah, but then there is the conservatives' newspaper devil: the dreaded NY Times.
There are only two things wrong with the conservative plaint that the Times is the harbinger of great liberal influence. First, there is the fact that the Times (print) circulation is read by two-tenths of one percent of our population. Statistically, 99.8% never read it! Additionally the Times circulation is exceeded by twice by the Wall St. Journal (read "Rupert Murdoch"); and also by USA Today-- owned by media giant Gannett. No "liberal" advantage here.
Next, talk radio; and here the conservative complaint is not only without basis of fact -- they are treading on thin ice because talk radio is massively dominated by conservative hosts. Bill Press in his carefully documented work "Toxic Talk" refers to a Center for American Progress survey (done a couple of years ago) indicating that:
* of 257 top news-talk stations, ninety-one percent of the programming was conservative
* each weekday 2570 hours of programming was conservative; 254 hours progressive
* in the top ten radio markets, seventy-six percent of the programming was conservative
In a more recent survey, 48 million people get their news from guys like Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Beck, and even hear the truth being savaged, by Michael Savage ( the Pew Project For Excellence In Journalism). Liberal radio? A total myth.
Well then we come to television. Is this where the "liberal media" dominates, distorts the conservative message, or ignores conservative stories? Consider this. The television -- and indeed virtually all the media in America is dominated by massive media conglomerates. None exhibit a "liberal" editorial basis, as you might expect from major corporations whose goal is not politics, but profit. The fact is, where there is a political bias, it is generally where you would expect such corporations to be. And that is not on the liberal spectrum.
This is a long and complex discussion, but it is well to note that eight of the top ten international media conglomerates are located in America. Here is just a sampling:
* Fox News -- to say that Fox is a "news" provider is a not entirely accurate. Under unabashedly conservative Rupert Murdoch, Fox owns 28 full-power stations in 18 markets; dozens of newspaper worldwide; Dow Jones and the Wall St. Journal). It included Twentieth Century Fox properties till it was spun off amid the recent scandals (Murdoch continues to control however).
* CBS which owns 30 stations (29 full-powers and one low-power) in 18 markets
* Gannett: Own 82 U.S. daily newspapers, including USA TODAY, reaching 11.6 million readers every weekday, the nation's No. 1 newspaper in print circulation; and USATODAY.com reaching 6.6 million readers daily. The Broadcasting Division’s 23 TV stations reach 21 million households, covering 18.2 percent of the U.S. population
* Hearst: One of the world's largest publishers of magazines; 20 U.S. titles, 300 international editions; 20 Business Information services; and 29 television plus two radio stations
*Disney Company: Best known for its theme parks and studio, it also owns ABC Television, ESPN, A&E and others
Then there are other media giants like Time Warner, Viacom-- and the NBC network, now owned by the big daddy of them all; Comcast. Comcast is the largest media conglomerate in the world with over $60 Billion in annual revenue; and multi Billions in profit. A liberal mouthpiece? Judge for yourself.
The facts regarding a "mainstream liberal press" are these. First whether it is print, radio or television, the media in America is highly consolidated, owned substantially by massive corporations. Estimates are that ninety percent of media you read, hear or watch will be a medium controlled by a very few large media giants. Further, these massive companies have shown no empirical evidence that their editorial policies are tilted to the left. In fact, if one were to drill deeper into the Board rooms of these companies the likelihood of tilting would almost certainly be the other direction.
But, let's call it a draw, and rightfully assume that their goal is less political than profit. If that be the case, then they would be neutral at best...but to portray them as the "liberal media" is pure fantasy.