Discussion of the mainstream media involves a weird dichotomy: In one sense, the media DOES have a liberal bias and, yet, that bias itself is not very liberal. It's a differentiation in the use of the definition of liberal that causes this problem.
When used as a general term, as discussed in Part I, the media inherently IS liberal. However, when we use liberal as a socio-political term, the media is typically anything but. The way I tend to underscore this differentiation is to say that the media is only liberal WITHIN the parameters of mainstream thought which tends to be conservative, by nature. It's like saying Newt Gingrich is more liberal than Barry Goldwater -- both are still conservatives.
If you flip from channel to channel on your TV or radio, there are few decidedly liberal voices (with the exception of Air America). The same is true for most mainstream newspapers and magazines. People routinely don't get to hear from the likes of Holly Sklar, Cornel West, Howard Zinn, Winona LaDuke, Noam Chomsky, Barbara Ehrenreich, Manning Marable, Matthew Rothschild, Joel Bleifuss or Ralph Nader.
A few years ago, people use to point to CNN's Crossfire and hold up Michael Kinsley as an example of a left-wing voice in primetime. Michael Kinsley? That's like saying former Sen. Mark Hatfield is a diehard toe-the-party-line conservative!
The sad fact is -- were it not for the alternative media and the blogosphere -- most people would never get to hear the critiques and ideas of the Left. Such people are frozen out by the mainstream media. And thus, the bumper sticker mentioned in Part I IS true -- The media are only as liberal as the corporations that own them!
When used as a general term, as discussed in Part I, the media inherently IS liberal. However, when we use liberal as a socio-political term, the media is typically anything but. The way I tend to underscore this differentiation is to say that the media is only liberal WITHIN the parameters of mainstream thought which tends to be conservative, by nature. It's like saying Newt Gingrich is more liberal than Barry Goldwater -- both are still conservatives.
If you flip from channel to channel on your TV or radio, there are few decidedly liberal voices (with the exception of Air America). The same is true for most mainstream newspapers and magazines. People routinely don't get to hear from the likes of Holly Sklar, Cornel West, Howard Zinn, Winona LaDuke, Noam Chomsky, Barbara Ehrenreich, Manning Marable, Matthew Rothschild, Joel Bleifuss or Ralph Nader.
A few years ago, people use to point to CNN's Crossfire and hold up Michael Kinsley as an example of a left-wing voice in primetime. Michael Kinsley? That's like saying former Sen. Mark Hatfield is a diehard toe-the-party-line conservative!
The sad fact is -- were it not for the alternative media and the blogosphere -- most people would never get to hear the critiques and ideas of the Left. Such people are frozen out by the mainstream media. And thus, the bumper sticker mentioned in Part I IS true -- The media are only as liberal as the corporations that own them!
The media isn't liberal in terms of the definition you put forth in part I. They're slaves to the hot story. Whatever will dredge up the most controversy will be reported. They don't favor reform, they favor the structure that pays the bills. The only thing they're progressive about, or open to new ideas about, is how to reach more people than the other guy.
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