Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

This website is a part of a research project for MSTD 335.

The above stages demonstrate the process by which this project came about. If you would like to see how this site came to be, please explore
Stages 1-3.

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Is there a Conservative Bias?

This area must be read in Conjunction with “Is there a Liberal Bias?” to receive a well-rounded view.

When researching the constant argument between liberals and conservatives over the presence of a media bias in the news, it is inevitable that you will find legitimate claims on both sides of the issue. Depending on the type of people you surround yourself with, it may seem like conservatives have more of a problem with the liberal bias in the news media than vise versa. On the other hand, there is a large part of the American public and the media elite who believe there is a stronger conservative bias in the media. Throughout the election there were many notable representations of a conservative bias in the news media.

Examples of Conservative Bias

The Daily Howler, a sort of “media watchdog” in it’s own right, keeps a daily publication of stories exposing bias in the media. On November 16, 2000 Bob Somerby, a writer for The Daily Howler, was listening to Don Imus on his television/radio show entitled Imus in the Morning when a red flag went up that caught Somerby’s attention. This alarm was set off, in Mr. Somerby’s view, as a pure example of conservative bias. Imus was talking with Charles McCord when Imus asked bout the legislature Bush signed in Texas that favored hand recounting. He wanted to know if “that involve(d) these punch-card ballots?” The answer from McCord was I don’t know. (2000, Somerby)

This is an example of conservative media bias to Somerby because it is a lack of knowledge about the facts. This sort of bias takes place on a regular basis because those commentating on the day’s issues do not take the time to get all the facts. One should not discuss and issue unless her or she has a knowledgeable grip on the issue at hand. It also shows a conservative bias because McCord and Imus do not seemed to be bothered by the fact that they don’t know the facts. They are prospectively letting a Presidential Candidate slip by on an important issue without presenting the whole truth. The thought comes to mind that if this had been Al Gore in the same situation, McCord and Imus would have probably been more prepared on the facts of the case.

Eric Boehlert also caught an example of conservative media bias that demonstrates the concept of labeling in a clear example. Boehlert, a writer for the politics section of Salon.com, found this example of bias while watching “Fox News Sunday” when Karen Hughes, Bush’s Communications Director, said “(t)he vice president (Al Gore) has consistently and repeatedly made up things, exaggerated, embellished facts...he is a serial exaggerator.” Boehlert goes on to report that “an amenable press corps is now on red alert, searching for any new Gore discrepancies.” (2000, Boehlert)
This example is an indisputable picture of conservative media bias for two reasons. The first reason this story should have never made it on air is because Hughes and other’s discussing this story are labeling Al Gore which causes the public to think of differently of the Presidential candidate every time they hear his name. It is like labeling someone a murder, rapist, or pedophile; it is a stigma, which is near impossible loose. The second reason this is such a huge example of bias is because it shows the media just waiting for someone to screw up so they can satisfy some political view of their own. It is not the job of the media to sit around a put someone under a microscope to see if they do anything wrong. It is their job to report the facts, and if possible, explain the context of those facts without letting personal views hinder that reporting.

Final Thoughts on Conservative Bias

The above sources clearly represent a bias to the right which may be hard to see bye the conservatives themselves however they might be able to identify here and understand why it may be hard for liberal’s to think there is truly a liberal tilt to the media. The truth is everyone has a bias on any given subject, at any given time because it is human nature for us to have different views on different subjects. However, it is the job of the reporter, writer, anchor, and all other media elites to learn to control this natural thought process and report the news without a bias.