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Politics : View from the Center and Left
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To: Cogito who wrote (90667)10/18/2008 5:58:05 PM
From: Lane3  Read Replies (1) of 541769
 
The only important question about media bias is, to me, whether or not it has an effect on public opinion.

I have over the years argued long and hard with those who see lefty media bias in everything. I think most of it is imaginary. But I do see some. Where I see it is in issue area, not in partisanship. As you know, I am indifferent to the horse race. I don't have an informed opinion on whether the media favor one candidate or one party over the other because I skip right over that stuff due to lack of interest. So if they do favor one and it has any effect, I haven't a clue.

But there are some topics where they have a clear perspective and make statements so authoritative that it would have to be influential. You would never hear a counterpoint if all you saw or read were the so called MSM.

As examples, here is my short list. First, you will see every initiative to make taxes more progressive framed as "tax reform." That more progressive is good is taken as a given, not something for which balance needs to be inserted. It never even occurs to them that that's an opinion rather than a fact. Another given is that global warming is a coming disaster. Another given is secularism. So folks read or watch the media and never question those givens. Obviously, "everybody knows that..." I would consider that having an effect on public opinion. It's a kind of brainwashing.

Whether that is a problem depends on one's own POV on those topics. I'm tickled that the media are intensely secular. Re the other two, not so much.
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