It is, of course, an article of faith on the Right (i.e., in the Republican Party and amongst those who root for it on election day) that "the media," i.e., the broadcast networks, newspapers, magazines, websites, &c. that deliver information about current events to the public, is solidly, consistently, unabashedly "liberal." The "mainstream media," i.e., The Liberal Media™ (TLM) is populated almost entirely by liberals, who vote almost exclusively for the Democrat Party, slant the news and deliver it in a way to help that party look good and win elections, and are all consistently, unjustifiably, and unaccountably hostile to conservatives, conservatism, and the Republican Party.
Let's assume all that is true.
One question: Why?
There is no shortage of "truths" that people of all political stripes simply accept and believe without much examination; this is one of the most ubiquitous. Fans of the GOP don't just believe, they know for a fact that the "mainstream media" is "liberal," hostile to conservatives and the GOP, and unfairly distorts the public perception of both thus intentionally damaging their electoral prospects. We've been hearing and reading this since Nixon (really, since McCarthy), and conservative think-tanks like Brent Bozell's "Media Research Center" have been conducting and disseminating "studies" that "prove" it ever since. Everyone would know that conservatives are right about everything if it weren't for The Liberal Media™; Republicans would win every election in a landslide if it weren't for Liberal Media Bias™ (LMB) helping Democrats.
I'm not here to talk about whether or not this is true; whether or not "the media" is "liberal." For these purposes, I'm stipulating that it is. Let's assume arguendo that everything the GOP and the MRC and everyone else inside the Republican fan-fiction paracosm says about TLM and LMB is true.
What I've never heard anyone ask, let alone answer or explain, is why "the media" is so "liberal." If it's true that "the media" really wants Democrats to win elections and not Republicans, why is that? If it's true that nearly all journalists are liberals who vote Democratic, why is that? If it's true that most journalists, reporters, editors, newspaper and TV-network owners and executives, &c. are biased against the GOP, why is that?
What is it about liberalism that appeals to journalists? What is it about journalism (as a career/vocation) that appeals to liberals? Why do journalists tend to be liberal and not conservative? Why do liberals become journalists while conservatives don't?
Since the brouhaha over the CNBC Republican debate, and particularly this Morning Joe segment, I've been posing this question all over comment boards where GOP fans are likely to see it, and so far I haven't gotten any kind of answer. When I put the question out there at the top of a thread, I don't get an answer. When I respond to a claim of liberal/Democratic media bias by asking, "Why do you suppose that is?" I don't get an answer. When I've posed this question in the past I've never gotten an answer. Any time I have a real-world conversation with someone complaining about "liberal bias" in the "media" (or on college campuses) I ask, "Why do you suppose that is?" and the conversation stops in its tracks. They have no idea.
The closest thing I've gotten to an answer so far is a few different comments suggesting some form of political nepotism, i.e., like-minded people hiring only like-minded people. But that still doesn't answer the question as to why the former, let alone the latter, tend to be "liberal" and not "conservative" (i.e., fans of the Democratic Party and not the GOP).
Seriously, has anyone ever asked a prominent conservative why "the media" is so "liberal," and so biased against him, people like him, and the party he votes for? Not why he thinks it is; why it is. Liberals, perhaps, are so resistant to the concept of TLM/LMB that they aren't willing to stipulate to it for the purpose of asking this very important follow-up question. It's very important, I think, because in my experience and observation conservatives can't seem to answer it. They know that the news media is "liberal" and biased against them, that TLM and LMB exist, but they don't know why and apparently have never even asked themselves why.
Why haven't they asked themselves why? That's another important, related question.
Now, I have my own ideas about why journalists, reporters, and news media outlets tend to be "liberal" and not "conservative," why journalism as a career/vocation appeals to liberals and not conservatives, why GOP fans can't explain why the "media" is "liberal," and why they haven't asked themselves that question. I'll keep those to myself for now and leave it to the comment thread. While we're at it, ask a conservative the questions posed herein, and let us know what they say.