Mass media: Conservative or Liberal? (split from "Amazing Prakster")

[Axel]

Geep, I should point out that almost all major media sources are run by conservatives and represent their ideals. I should, but I won't.

[TheGeepster]

I missed you Axel. Welcome back!

So what you're suggesting is that NBC, CBS, ABC, and the New York Times are all conservative sources? :confuse2:

That's news to me.

I'm aware of FOXNews reputation as a conservative hotbed, but they also represent the liberal point of view within their lineup. Geraldo Rivera as a reporter, Alan Colmes as a cohost of a show..

Talk radio, too, is just hitting its stride.

It is true that there are now more alternatives for where you get your news, making media bias a lesser issue than in previous days. Because viewpoints which weren't a part of the mainstream media view can find an outlet now, whereas it was very difficult before.

[Axel]

yes Geep, they are. I get my news from the Daily Show for a reason. who do you think runs those? has one of the sources said anything against this Iraq thing? its not the reporters, its the owners, they decide what goes and what doesn't.

you know, that letter has a point...

[TheGeepster]

Editor may have a say in what's printed in some sources, but for the most part the slant belongs to the body of journalists who write for or report for the news media company. The owners, for the most part, are probably more concerned about the profitability of the company, rather than the slant of the news presented. Should the owners be interested in slanting the news a certain way, it will show up in their choice of editors and journalists.

And Talk Radio Hosts admit to their own bias. They report the news, true, but they also admit to interpreting it according to their view. Talk Radio hosts are also put into place for their profitability, and do not necessarily represent the views of the owners. And the talk radio audience by and large are conservative in nature, which is why there aren't a lot of liberal talk shows out there. (KLIF 570 does have Alan Colmes, a known liberal and co-host of Hannity and Colmes on the Fox Network).

It has been said that people tend to be conservative in those things which they know most about. I wonder if that is true.

[Axel]

what idiot considers talk radio to be a news source? I thought they were a joke!

what news sources can report is determined by the network. the networks are mostly run by conservatives. true some radio stations directly target liberals, but news networks are very conservative.

[TheGeepster]

Talk Radio may be entertainment, but it is serious talk on the important issues of the day. And people of all opinions call in to share their opinions as well. Some hosts are balanced and very good at putting together their arguments on a topic. Others may resort to personal insults. I prefer the hosts who are fairly quiet and very rarely personal, and there are several in my area.

I'm still not sure how you figure that that traditional cable news is conservative by any account.

Why do you think FoxNews got to be so popular? Because it was providing a viewpoint that wasn't represented by these "conservative" networks like CNN (dubbed "Clinton News Network" by some)!

[Axel]

I don't listen to talk radio, its not a reliable news source. then again, neither is Fox or any of those other sources.

the news networks are run by conservatives, what they are allowed to report is determined by the network. thus it is from a conservative standpoint and reflecting those opinions that the news is reported. perhaps not presented, but the information itself reflects a conservative standpoint.

[TheGeepster]

So you get your news from "The Daily Show"? Hmm, that may explain a lot..

[Axel]

no, its just a running gag.

[TheGeepster]

I figured as much. So my question is where you do get your news from, Axel.

[Axel]

a combination of web sites and NPR.

[TheGeepster]

Which websites if I may ask?

[inori]

Can you two track back to the topic, please? If you want to continue to carry on your conversation, PMs are nice things. :kawaii:

EDIT: On second thought, you have an interesting topic of discussion going; it's just completely different from the thread topic. So I'm going to split this thread in two. Nifty, no?

[slothman]

On Bill O'reilly's, hey 2 apostrophies in one word, he said, paraphrased, "I think all nations should put soldiers into Iraq. Except France they're weasels." Yeah that unbiased. Of course all of them do it to some extent. Also What do you think of MSNBC? I heard it's supposed to be liberal but not from what I saw. It always has more conservative viewpoints.

[AlphaDawg]

Originally posted by slothman
On Bill O'reilly's, hey 2 apostrophies in one word, he said, paraphrased, "I think all nations should put soldiers into Iraq. Except France they're weasels." Yeah that unbiased. Of course all of them do it to some extent. Also What do you think of MSNBC? I heard it's supposed to be liberal but not from what I saw. It always has more conservative viewpoints. Yeah, I saw The O'Reilly Factor last night, he did indeed say that. Pretty funny, and right on the spot I might add. However before you try to use that as an example of conservative bias on Fox News keep in mind The O'Reilly Factor is a news analysis show, not straight news reporting. O'Reilly makes that distinction on his show all the time, and he's absolutely right.

[bigjoe]

Whoever controls the tube controls the population. Why do you think so many people have conservative viewpoints nowadays? Thats why I only watch local news and read conspiracy websites. I know where to look to get the REAL DEAL.

[Axel]

MSN and Yahoo. not reliable, but I use them anyways, so I skim the headlines and read anything that looks interesting.

[slothman]

Use Google news. Since it just points to other sites with a variety of interests then it itself could be unbiased. In any case it's interest the Fox news is generally conservative but The Simpsons are not.

[Starkist]

My local Fox News is left of center and generally air headed. I hate my local news. My first source for straight news is usually the Drudge Report. It links to many other news sites.

[TheGeepster]

Apologies for the off-topic inori. (Not a worry now, I spose.)

Drudge Report often has some good information on it. So too does NewsMax. I particularly enjoy reading the pundants.

I distrust Yahoo a little bit. Not sure why. It's probably a decent place to get the basic overall news though.

I'm trying to find some information on the traditional news networks though, to gather what their general leaning may be (the new focus of the debate)