councilor.org
| Source | Dave Anderson |
| Date | 99/05/01/21:52 |
| /* Written 5:10 PM Jun 23, 1998 by jshell@netcom.com in igc:labr.all */ /* ---------- "The "Liberal Media" claim" ---------- */ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 13:02:50 -0600 (MDT) From: ANDERSON DAVID Subject: The "Liberal Media" claim (fwd) ------------------------------------------ > FAIR-L > Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting > Media analysis, critiques and news reports > ------------------------------------------ > > >June 18, 1998 >FAIR Press Release > >NEW STUDY CHALLENGES "LIBERAL MEDIA" CLAIM: >ON ECONOMICS, JOURNALISTS MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN PUBLIC > >( read the full report at: >http://www.fair.org/reports/journalist-survey.html ) > > A new survey of 141 journalists indicates that the Washington >press corps is more conservative than the general public on a range of >economic issues from taxes to trade to health care to Social Security. >The survey -- conducted for FAIR by Professor David Croteau of Virginia >Commonwealth University -- reveals that while most national journalists >identify themselves as "centrists," their views on bread-and-butter >issues are often to the right of public opinion.* > > In a questionnaire targeted primarily at America's most powerful >news outlets, journalists were asked policy questions modeled on ones >mainstream polling firms had previously asked of the general public. >Among the findings: > >STATE OF THE ECONOMY: The Washington press corps is far more bullish >than the public: Only 5% of the surveyed journalists said that economic >conditions today in the U.S. are "fair" or "poor" -- compared to 34% of >the general public who chose "only fair" or "poor" in a recent >nationwide poll. Most of the journalists declared household incomes at >$100,000 or more, with 31% at $150,000 or more. (The median U.S. >household income is roughly $36,000.) > >CORPORATE POWER: Washington journalists are more conservative than the >public on the question of concentrated corporate power. Asked whether >"a few large corporations" have "too much power," journalists were much >more evenly divided than the public, with 57% to 43% responding >affirmatively. Nationwide polls have consistently found the public to >be quite one-sided on the question, with 77% (vs. 18%) responding in >the affirmative in a 1995 poll. > >TAXING THE WEALTHY: The general public appears to be more populist than >the press corps on taxation. Asked about President Clinton's 1993 >economic plan, journalists responded fairly evenly as to whether the >plan "went too far" (14%) or "not far enough" (18%) in raising taxes on >the rich. This contrasts with the results of a similar 1993 poll >question in which 72% of the public chose "not far enough" and only 15% >chose "too far." > >TRADE TREATIES: As fervent free-traders, most of the Washington press >corps are strongly at odds with the American public. Most polls reveal >a public that is negative or dubious about NAFTA's impact on the U.S. >But in overwhelming numbers (65% vs. 8%), journalists assess NAFTA as >having had a positive impact. > > Also, the public opposes giving the President "fast-track" >authority to negotiate new trade treaties almost as vehemently (67% >opposed in a recent poll) as the surveyed journalists support "fast >track" (71% in favor). > >ECONOMIC PRIORITIES: Asked to prioritize various issues for the >President and Congress, journalists and the public are often at odds. > On entitlements, journalists overwhelmingly chose "reform >entitlements," by slowing growth in Medicare and Social Security, as one >of the top few priorities. In contrast, most of the public chose >"protect Medicare and Social Security against major cuts." > On NAFTA expansion, 24% of journalists chose expansion of NAFTA >to other Latin American countries as one of the top few priorities, but >only 7 % of the public did. It was actually put "toward bottom of list" >by 44% of the public. > On health care, only 32 % of journalists chose "require that >employers provide health insurance to employees" as one of the top few >priorities, while 47% of the public did. > >GUARANTEED MEDICAL CARE: The general public is more emphatic that it is >Washington's responsibility to guarantee medical care for all people >without health insurance. While journalists were somewhat split on this >proposition (43% pro, 35% con), the public supported it in a 1996 poll >by a 2-to-1 majority (64% to 29%). > >ENVIRONMENT: The only survey question in which journalists appeared to >the left of the public asked respondents to choose whether stricter >environmental laws "cost too many jobs and hurt the economy" or "are >worth the cost." Journalists responded 79%-21% in favor of "worth the >cost"; in a 1996 poll, the public also heavily favored that option, but >by a lesser majority (63% to 30%). > >"I'M A CENTRIST": When asked to characterize their political orientation >on social issues as "left," "center" or "right," 57% of surveyed >journalists chose center, 30% left and 9% right. When asked to >characterize their orientation on economic issues, 64% of the >journalists chose center, 19% right and 11% left. > > "There appear to be very few national journalists," concluded >Croteau, "with left views on economic questions like corporate power and >trade -- issues that may well matter more to media owners and >advertisers than social issues like gay rights and affirmative action." > > In the debate over media bias, FAIR has always argued that >journalists' private views are less important than their public >performance - for example, who they rely on as sources and experts. >"While this survey deflates the conservative caricature of a leftist >press corps," said FAIR executive director Jeff Cohen, "it should not be >used to reinforce the notion that journalists' views are the primary >factor in news bias. The studies that best illuminate bias are FAIR's >content examinations of Nightline, PBS's NewsHour, NPR and major >dailies." > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >TAKE ACTION: Contact your local news outlets and ask them to cover the >study, which is available in its entirety on FAIR's web site >(http://www.fair.org/reports/journalist-survey.html). |
Copyright (c) 1998, Joongpil Cho