Is the MSM left leaning or right leaning, in general

[DaveinJapan]

I would've posted this as a poll, but I'm new here and I guess I need to contribute first. :p

So, which way does the wind really blow? I've got my own suspicions, but I was hoping to hear thoughts from others on this one. If possible, give examples. I'm looking to finally lay this thing to rest (at least in my own mind lol).

Left? Right? Fair and balanced? (for the sake of fairness, let's just leave FOX out of the equation shall we? we all know which way THEY swing :p)

[begin_within]

1. Nowadays, right, because too much of it is owned by large corporations.

[nc4bo]

8. +1. nt

[atreides1]

2. It leans

In the direction of the wind, and that blows either way.

[RandomThoughts]

3. They lean corporate, with a good mix of smoke on social issues. n/t

[EOTE]

4. Even neglecting Fox, the media is definitely right wing.

Even MSNBC with Olbermann and Maddow manage to cheerlead with ridiculous right wing propaganda from time to time. The problem is, the networks like MSNBC who have the perception of having a left wing bias are so pressured to be "fair and balanced" that they give just as much credence to way out of the mainstream, right wing nuts. The truth is that this country is far more liberal than not, and our media does not reflect that fact one bit.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Need to define your terms.

Journalists tend to the left - as do most people who get out and see what's going on on the ground.
Owners tend to the right - as do most people who see nothing but the bottom line.

Which of those IS the MSM?

[DaveinJapan]

6. good point

I suppose "the MSM" (cue scary music) in this context would be the stuff being said on the air and/or in print.

So, I'm assuming that would be the "journalists", although you make a fair point since they have to answer to the owners.

Since we can't really figure out what's going on internally, I suppose my question has to be simply what is being broadcast and/or printed.

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. The point is, the journalists seldom have the last say over what gets

to the public.

Even Dan Rather had his head handed to him because he presented something the owners didn't like.

We hear a little of what the journalists want to say, and a lot of what the owners allow them to say.

[ieoeja]

7. Entertainment has always leaned Left. News has always leaned Right.

Bad press the US got during Vietnam has been the Holy Grail of "the news media is left" crowd. Problem is, about 99% of the reporting by CBS/NBC/ABC during Vietnam was PRO US.

Of course, the Rightists are technically correct in their claim that they were too liberal when you use their defintition that anything short of 100% pro-US reporting "in a time of war" is too liberal. And since a large percentage of the US population agrees with that definition, all they need is that 1% to prove their point. Once it was established that the news media was too liberal DURING VIETNAM they get to keep pushing the factoid "the news medis is too liberal" forever.

[Laelth]

9. Welcome to DU.

Those of us on the left generally perceive the MSM to have a decidedly right-wing tilt. Just in case you were curious. Abundant evidence supports our position on this issue.

:dem:

-Laelth

[DaveinJapan]

11. thank you for the welcome!

yes, I've seen that as well. as a left leaning person, I'm trying to keep an open mind as I discuss this issue with not only right wingers but also with "moderate" friends who seem utterly convinced that the "left wing MSM" is alive and well. I don't see it, personally, but I'm looking for solid evidence with which to refute such a claim.

One minor point I'm focusing on is the obsession with the media talking about every freaking HOUR that President Obama is not at work and exactly how much it costs (including airplane, security..the usual). I don't seem to recall ANY sort of outcry about ex President Bush flying to Texas all the time (nor do I recall any calculations being thrown about as to the cost). To me, that doesn't seem like a heavily left wing media at all, but I'm looking for more evidence pro/con.

[hedgehog]

10. I don't think the MSM leans any way except in the direction of higher profits.

It costs money to hire people and send them out to investigate what's going on. It costs money to pay people to sit down and write a careful explanation of a complicated issue. It's far cheaper to have an "expert" come into the studio for free and pontificate in front of the camera for his or her 15 minutes of fame. I think it's the nature of left leaning people to be aware of nuance and complexity while the hard right specializes in catch phrases. Toss in all the right wing think tanks ever ready to supply a spokeperson and you can see why only one version of the truth gets displayed.

[abq e streeter]

12. I highly recommend David Brock's The Republican Noise Machine...

he was a republican insider before 'seeing the light" ....Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media? is good too, and I would imagine other members of DU may have other good ones to recommend also. Reading books like these would be a good start at obtaining numerous examples of the type you're looking for, although of course, the examples will necessarily already be several years old. Keep checking DU; people post current examples on a regular basis.....Welcome. I have learned a lot about what is really going on in the world through reading DU on a regular basis ( because of the dearth of real information in the corporate-owned media), even if I have individual disagreements with certain posts ( and sometimes vehement disagreements; I've sadly had to realize the left is not free of lunatic fringe people; we just have a hell of a lot fewer than the right, where, as I see it, you pretty much have to be a lunatic to believe what they do).

[ClearPresentDanger]

13. They are corporate leaning

and that tends to be to the right. They are indifferent on many issues, like abortion, because there is no "abortion industry". Watch when the issue is something like labor unions though. When was the last time you heard something positive about unions from the corporate media? Notice how 'taxes' is always federal income taxes, never capital gains or dividend taxes?

[rucky]

15. Yep

and welcome to the DU

[JVS]

14. Socially liberal, economically conservative.

[Marr]

16. Far right in the issues that matter; business, finance, foreign policy...

On social issues, I think the tone is more liberal-- or just disinterested.

[timeforpeace]

17. Although the media is overwhelmingly registered Democrat

as individuals (90% or more, I think), they report right because they work for corporations.

[pnorman]

18. It's OWNERSHIP-leaning!

n/t

pnorman

[old guy]

19. One thing that stands out to me over all others

is during the last administration the corporate media questioned nothing and now they want to question everything. It's as if they now think they have to try and be "journalists". Maybe it's just me.

[OHdem10]

21. The Television Media lean right. Many are highly paid and they

tend to agree with GOP. The GOP taxcutsetc appeals to people
who have high incomes.

The Written Press. Mixed. Most newspapers are owned by Republicans
and the editorial pages lean right while the regular pages many have
reporters with Liberal, Centrists and Righward Slants.

[s-cubed]

22. Someone made the point that, for conservatives, if the press is not conservative, it is liberal.

There is no neutrality for the right-wingers: if you don't spout what they agree with, then it must be left leaning.

According to the author of "the Authoritarians", right wingers in general do not think critically, do not analyze, do not try to figure things out for themselves. They believe what they hear, even if what they hear is mutually contradictory. Thus, they hear the "media" is liberal, and they believe it, even though much of what the corporate media pushes is indeed more to the right. Also, many people make no distinction between "news", and "commentary". We have too much of the latter, and far too little of the former.

(By the way, I highly recommend the book, "The Authoritarians", about followers, not leaders. Very informative and thought provoking. It's available free on line - just google it.)

On the other hand, liberals and independents tend to think for themselves, to want neutral reporting, to recognize when news is slanted, or is pure propaganda. They don't have as much of a tendency to think something is right just because it isn't left. The corporate view of "balanced" is too often 3 on one side, and one weak opponent. And other times, "balanced" leads to equal time to legitimate and fringe viewpoints.

I do believe that a lot of reporters are more independent/liberal, just because their job requires them to do some real analysis. But that may never get into their stories. Also, don't forget that "liberal" has been made a dirty work. Thus, when people are polled, they don't want to call themselves liberal, even when their views on issues are very liberal. America is a center-left country, if you look at positions, not self-identification.

[NeedleCast]

23. Neither. It focuses on sensationalism.

SOme shows obviously of a bias (Faux News being the most easily seen), but for the most part, the media wants to keep butts in seats (and watching their advertising) so they run the stories that people want to see. If it's controversail, violent, or has some other sensational component, all the better.

Edit: It also depends on where an individual falls on the political specturm. The further you are from center, the more likely you'll see a lean in one direction or another.