Former NPR Reporter Denounces 'Canard' of Liberal Media Bias for Causing 'False Balance'

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In addition to disparaging Brian Williams for offering a "candygram" to Barack Obama in prime time, PBS omnipresence Bill Moyers organized another one-sided left-wing discussion on the alleged conservative bias of the news media last Friday, picking up on Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne’s complaint that the media are giving too much time and weight to Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich on the Sotomayor nomination. Former NPR correspondent Brooke Gladstone, who now hosts the weekly show On The Media for WNYC radio (distributed nationally by NPR), denounced the "canard" of liberal media bias and how it causes "overbalance":

What I see is that there's a desperate need on the part of media all the time, and increasingly year after year, to respond to what they think are the concerns of the news consumer. And so, there's a tendency to bend over backwards to prove they aren't liberal. This is a canard that began with the Nixon administration, probably before, but really took off steam then. And they're continually in an acrobatic position, trying to overbalance, show what they think are both sides, a side that isn't being expressed by a mainstream media that is perceived to be liberal, or they believe it's perceived to be liberal.

I e-mailed Gladstone and asked her if she isn’t concerned that she’s reinforcing the idea that NPR is a liberal haven by coming on PBS and denouncing this "canard." She replied:

I have some concern but it is unrelated to the roughly ten percent of public radio's income that comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

My concern is about offering media analysis that is fair and having my meaning understood.

I would prefer not to be labeled but I accept that is an occupational hazard. I believe that in an effort to avoid the liberal label, many reporters tend to overcompensate.

They may offer more ink and airtime to the extreme right than to the extreme left. They may give equal time to both sides of an arguments even when the preponderance of factual evidence greatly favors one side over the other.

Reporters (though some dispute this) are people, too. Sometimes they opt to dodge bullets by reporting in ways that are more expedient than true.

For my part, I try to provide the most candid perspective I can. That way, viewers (or listeners) can decide for themselves whether to trust me or not.

Gladstone was very candid on PBS about denouncing "these nervous Nellies who are concerned about being perceived as liberals." Moyers paired her with professor Jay Rosen. (Earlier this year, Moyers paired Rosen with Glenn Greenwald in another left-wing una-logue.) She was also clear in agreeing with Dionne that Limbaugh and Gingrich shouldn’t be highlighted, since conservative Republicans are marginalizing themselves:

GLADSTONE: But if we are to believe the polls, and I guess that's a whole different show for you, it seems that the importance of Rush as a mover of opinion, not as a generator of audience, necessarily. But as a mover of opinion -- and Newt Gingrich is diminishing. Fewer and fewer people are identifying themselves as Republican.

So, you see this false balance being created in the news for the purposes of having something that generates a lot of heat without much light to talk about. And you see a medium, a class of experts. A political party. All in the process of marginalizing themselves in pursuit of generating some excitement on television.

BILL MOYERS: So, if you're right, this is happening without what Jay identified earlier. Very few progressive voices to the left of Obama are having a role in the national debate. So, what's happening that is bringing people around to challenge the Limbaughs and the Gingriches, when in fact those alternative voices are rarely heard?

BROOKE GLADSTONE: It's a fascinating question. And I venture to say, that it's probably Obama. Obama is an enormously appealing character. And he has placed himself in front of the cameras everywhere. He's given tons of so-called exclusive interviews everywhere. He has made himself the best spokesman for his own moderate position. And the country likes it. And that's what the polls suggest. It seems quite simple, but that's the stand in for the entire other side of the debate. And the people to the left of him, you are right, we don't see them. And it would be useful to see more of them on television. But we do see them on the net.

JAY ROSEN: I think there's a very interesting dynamic here, which is that Obama makes a living by not being what the right wing says he is. And it was very powerful in the election, when he showed up at the debates. He didn't look anything like or sound anything like what the heated fantasies of the conservative wing had said. And simply by not being who Rush says he is, he ends up seeming way more trustworthy than perhaps he actually should be.

GLADSTONE: And makes Rush less credible.

ROSEN: And makes Rush less credible. But even though I agree with you, Brooke that the conservative base is kind of marginalizing itself. It isn't necessarily being marginalized by the news media.

GLADSTONE: That's for sure. I completely agree with you there.

ROSEN: So, let's marginalize them. If they're self-marginalized.

Gladstone also suggested the Democrats are also "nervous Nellies," not just the conservative-fearing press: "I honestly think that our Democratic Party is suffering under the same paranoid concerns that the press are. That this putatively liberal party may be too liberal."

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


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This is hilarious.  They

This is hilarious.  They admit they're biased to the liberal point of view, and then invent a reason--that they should report only the point of view that they believe has the majority.

Talk about a canard!   Their ducks really fly in circles over there at NPRPBS.

"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me

Of course Moyers, after

Of course Moyers, after criticizing Brian Williams, had to make up for it by "showing" how they actually bend over backward to be fair.

You know, to keep his standing with the Central Committee.

They may offer more ink and airtime to the extreme right than to the
extreme left. They may give equal time to both sides of an arguments
even when the preponderance of factual evidence greatly favors one side
over the other. 
-Gladstone

I think that is what is commonly called The Howler of the Piece

 

I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows.  -Bart Simpson

 

Williams is Embarassing

It is a bit scary to watch Williams interviewing Obama.

More than a Bit

I only saw a few minutes each night of that "interview", but it was utterly nauseating watching Williams polish Obambi's apples.  These people are not Obambi supporters, they are disciples.

                                                                 

A conservative believes in putting his money where his mouth is.  A liberal believes in putting your money where his mouth is. -- mbs6

Go to My Room

I thought at any point, Williams would ask Obama to go to his hotel room. 

do I need to list specifics?

The views of many conservatives are frequently considered controversial to progressives(liberals). Statements made by Rush and Newt seem very disturbing to the common media employee, and therefore are believed to be so far out of the mainstream as to be damaging to whomever spoke or wrote them. However, in the course of attempting to out conservatives as whack jobs, (or what ever liberals call them now), they only confirm to the majority of their bias, and inadvertently provide another vehicle to promote what the majority of the population already agrees with or at least finds believable and truthful. It also would seem that media is right biased because of the viewer/listenership of conservative/conservative leaning news outlets, and editorialists. Although, I am certain that if you counted the number of conservative and the number of liberal news/editorial outlets, the number of liberal ones would greatly outnumber the conservative counterparts. You have to count, all news channels, broadcast and cable, newspapers, websites and radio shows, both on air and satellite. In the end, you will find many more liberal outlets than conservative ones. The conservative ones just have a larger audience, and since the liberal ones can not regain their singular control of the news cycle, they are attacking the most popular conservative outlets. The Fairness Doctrine may be dead or dying, however, stealth versions of this dogma will be snuck into proposals and legislation, because shutting people up is the only way that the left can compete with logical and realistic arguments

Liberal Bias is Sinking Other Media

John Kerry, in asking for a federal bail out of the financially troubled Boston Globe, said that preserving the Globe was necessary to "preserving diversity of opinion in the media."   Whether the Globe and NYT get their bail out remains to be seen, but this is truly comical.  

The dinosaur print media would be selling more newspapers if they catered to the entire market of readers and not just to the liberal half.  At least the market gets a say in whether a media mouthpiece is liberal or not. 

Should the Globe get bail out money, it would be subject to federal government supervision - which would be even more funny ( for a look at who might be on the editorial board of the new Globe, you can look at:  http://firstconservative.com/blog/political-humor/political-humor-closing-the-boston-globe  )

Fox news saw some years ago that the public wanted balance in their news distribution.  They are driving other media out of business.

In what universe do the

In what universe do the media “bend over backwards to prove they aren't liberal.” Has she watched Oberman, Matthews, Madcow, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN?  They claim they are giving too much coverage to the extreme right while failing to mention that coverage is used only to mock and ridicule them.  It is amusing to watch liberals tell us how accommodating they are. 

Yes we all saw in the last

Yes we all saw in the last election how the media 'bent over backwards' only they did it while having sex with BHO. This and other websites couldn't exist without the prevalent bias for liberals in the media. The fact is that Dionne (or is that Dunce) is so shackled by his liberal beliefs that he believes that they are the only sane way to view the universe, that they are 'normal' and thus when the 80 percent of liberal reporters mimic those liberal views and perspectives, it isn't bias (the same way that having democraps in all three branches of government is non partisan) it's 'normalcy' and 'reality'.  Only conservatives and republicans can be 'partisan' and 'biased' because they operate outside of 'reality' or 'normalcy', i.e. the democrap liberal world view.

There are two words that

There are two words that perfectly describe these PBS liberal twits:  DERANGED and DELUSIONAL.

 Even reading what these folks say in print, their words drip with elitist slime.  They create the lie and then live it , so they can claim some authenticity to their fantasy. They trully sound like country club white trash who place themselves above everybody else in the room...secretly including even those who they happen to be chumming up to at the time.  They are createns and monsters in their own light. These are the very breed of people who will not enter God's heaven, as their egos are so elevated they would surely start critiquing God's creation, as though they are above even God in their intelligence. (And in fact they do always critique who God is and what God has done and have turned from him...to the things of man)  Yet what great things have these folks ever accomplished that gives them this self indulgent flatulence?  What have they ever created?(beside the waste they flush)  The answer is clear; Nothing, they are blots on the face of humanity, they have a form of Godliness, albeit false, that emminates from their very core being...they are in essence white washed tombs, spiffy on the outside, but inside filled with dead mens bones and filth.  Nobody will ever miss these sons of the Devil...noone.

Media Lapdogs!

For yet another example of the media being in the can for ObamaNation, read this http://theblacksphere.blogspot.com/2009/06/obama-saves-jobs-again.html  It is FUNNY, and would be more funny if it weren't true!

IS it true

That NPR is so boring that even liberals don't listen.

Far-Left?

Note that in Brooke Gladstone's reply, she used the term 'extreme left'. I don't know if that is a slip or a moment of honesty, but the liberals will rarely admit that anyone is on the far-left, or extreme left. They pretty much label all liberals as moderates or centrists. And of course the Bamster himself is a moderate, right?

They're just tired of the pretense

It's draining to pretend that you're fair and balanced. I mean, you have to actually read what conservatives are saying, and we all know how grueling that is! So, rather than slog through all that ... criticism ... they're now laying the foundation for the excuse they're going to use.

They're not going to present conservative views because it's a "foregone conclusion" that conservatives don't matter.

Besides, these liberal journalists assure us, conservative arguments are refuted by the preponderance of the evidence, right?

It's just a shame that their audience keeps dwindling, because their brilliance has never been more needed ...

WAKE UP!!

It's not (only) about attempting some equality in "ink and air time"!!!!! 

It's about being fair and unbiased in the way the story is presented.

For example, always providing the political party affiliation for a person being investigated for wrongdoing, not just for persons of your adversary (conservatives).

Or how about avoiding the "contemptuous comparison", the use of the disingenuous question", the use of hardball with people and positions you disagree with on a personl basis, but softball with those you think are good/right/obvious...

I wish I had a complete list of the tactics they use...

Do me a favor, NBers: if you have any others, list them here. I want to sharpen my critical and analytical reading, so anything else you watch for or detect, please add it to the list.

 

Here's what they're SUPPOSED

Here's what they're SUPPOSED to be abiding by:

http://www.spj.org/e...

There are about 100 rules; try and find just one that these A-holes abide by. 

Thanks!

That code of ethics is a great list! It lays out a good and proper strategy that journalists should follow.

I'd like to supplement it with writing-style devices and logical fallacies that are actually used (tactics), so that I can more readily identify and describe the infractions of the code when they are used.

Anyone have a link to a lib college's "how to spin a story" writing program? Maybe it would be easier to list what they teach, and flag everything as "biased"...

 

 

Take a minute and think about this:

"And the people to the left of him, you are right, we don't see them."

What could account for not seeing anyone to left of him (Obama)?

THERE ISN'T ANYONE FARTHER LEFT OF HIM!!!!

Whoa, Gladstone looks like

Whoa, Gladstone looks like she's in the same coven as Garofalo.

The MSM "offers more ink and airtime to the extreme right?" She left out the key word "negative."

Of course they think there

Of course they think there s too much conservatisim in the media.  ANY conservatism is too much conservatism to the Elitist Ideological Media culture.

To their way of thinking, liberalism is simply what is, so there can't be such a thing as liberal bias, because how can it be bias when there is no other legitimate point of view?

But let a conservative on a show or in an article and WHOA NELLIE, we can't have that!

They live in another dimension. (Or is it dementian...)

Upsy-Downsy media world

I think it's this simple: Gladstone and most of her ilk think there's more coverage of "right wing extremists" than "left wing extremists" because there ISN'T ANY LEFT-WING EXTREMISM IN THEIR WORLD. 

Obama is a "moderate" despite an unprescedented takeover of GM and other companies; openly calling for Iran to acquire nukes, radical plans to nationalize health care, etc. That's their idea of "moderate." Opposing those actions is considered "right wing" - and the "right wingers" get more "air time" in order to discredit them.

And since when is Rush an "extremist"? Is Mark Levin an "extremist"? Notice how they bandy about the term "hate speech"  to scare people into thinking that non-leftist positions are ipso-facto hate speech.

 

 

Does it matter then

Does it matter then that for the most part the reporting on Limbaugh and Newt is negative? Sure they are in the news alot lately---negatively portrayed---.

..And yes, I would assume that there are less people reporting themselves as Republicans------ they are calling themselves CONSERVATIVES now. Tell the whole story not just lead your audience to believe they are converting to the Democratic party.

These people on PBS kill me... they are merely making and running these shows for themselves. I would not be surprised if they tivo themselves spouting their nonsense so they can go home and enjoy their favorite programs.. .nodding in agreement with themselves the whole time.

I want the Fairness

I want the Fairness Doctrine here to the tax-payers in this country....let them fund their own shows....I am so past sick of being forced to feed the enemies.

I remember when Gingrich promised that the funding for PBS etc would be stopped and come up for a vote blah blah blah...never happened...we're still feeding the pigs at the trough.

Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart

Extreme Right? Extreme Left?

Is she implying that Gingrich and Limbaugh are on the "extreme right"? From her perspective, I guess. NPR, I suppose, is "center-left". Gingrich and Limbaugh are pretty moderate "extreme right" if you ask me. Who would Gladstone consider on the "extreme left", Pol Pot?

lib media bias

NPR who repudiates the lib media bias 'canard' deserves to be hoisted on their own petard.