From: alex@umbc5.umbc.edu (Alex S. Crain)
Subject: Re: Media bias
Keywords: bias
Organization: University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Academic Computing Services
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 18:07:10 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.162348.29281@afit.af.mil> jswitzer@afit.af.mil (Chip Switzer) writes:

>Are conservatives part of your "public"?  If so, and if you've been listening,
>you'd have to conclude that *we* are not getting what *we* want.  And please
>discontinue the "boogie man" and "conspiracy" angles.  They just make you
>look foolish.  I have no problem discussing the issues, but I will bow out if 
>the tone remains this immature.  I propose the "e" test.  Ask yourself, before
>you bring up a point, if it will make you look as petty and downright stupid
>as the person holding up the giant "e" during the Democratic convention.  Or
>for that matter like all the speakers who felt the need to bring this 
>important issue up.

	Fair 'nuff. Conservatives are indeed part of the public, but, I 
contend, not significant from a marketing point of view. Conservatives,
for example, would detest every Oliver Stone movie ever made, but Mr.
Stone continues to draw a huge audiance, in spite of the overt political
overtones in his films. (Please don't mistake me for a fan, I detest every
film he's ever made, with the exception of _Talk Radio_).

	As for the _Liberal Media Conspiracy_ angles, I think that the
term definately applies so some, if not all, of the views tossed around
in this newsgroup. It has been asserted that "The Media" holds a variety
of different viewpoints, from Pro-Choice to Pro-Government, as if the
media is a single minded entity. I'm very interested in media, and I believe
that the media is almost entirely reactive: the views that they hold
represent the popular views of their target audiance. This is a nasty
concept for a lot of people, because it implies that to differ with the
media is to differ with society.

	Using the media as a divining rod for society is overly simplistic,
of course. There are many views, such as gun control, where both sides have
a significant following, but I still contend that the media will take the
popular view. In Baltimore, for example, we have a fairly awful daily
paper, which might be percieved as having a liberal perspective. In reality,
though, the paper simply never takes an unpopular viewpoint, and the various
votes and referendums over the last decade have coincided with the views
of the paper. I refuse to believe that the Sun leads public opinion.

	The media is Pro Gun Control in urban markets (which are generally
pro gun control) and pro Gun in rural markets. The media was overwelmingly
in favor of the Gulf war, it was very kind to Ronald Reagan for 6 years,
and turned nasty when Reagans public support dropped, Etc, etc, etc. In
all, the perspective of the media is pretty predictable: it's not an
ideological view, it's a popular one.

	I also picked this side of the argument because so many of the
opposing arguments are so awful. Why are the media biased? Because this
commentator is a liberal, because this paper printed a slanted story,
more anicdotal evidance. Chip will invariably bring up the statistics from
FAIR, and ignore the fact that FAIR has a clearl conservative agenda. It
boils down the the idea that most people are so convinced that the media
is liberal that they don't even question the idea - it's an urban myth.

	Conservatives represent a significant chunk of america, but they
are not the majority, recent presidentail elections to the contrary. The
majority are not liberal, either, because there is no majority, really.
On individual issues, the media pick the popular side, and based on their
total picks, they appear liberal or conservative, depending on what your
picks are. I'll wager that the media are out of step with any purely
ideological platform, left or right, because the public is not consistant
ideologically.






-- 
Anybody who agrees with me deserves what they get.

					Alex Crain
					UMBC Academic Computing Services
Newsgroups: alt.activism.d,talk.politics.misc,talk.politics.guns