And That's the Way It Isn't: A Reference Guide to Media Bias

This book edited by Brent Bozell should convince any open-minded person that there is a very strong liberal bias in the mainstream media. It quotes studies that show that the views and backgrounds of those who choose to become reporters are well to the left of the country at large. It then provides an exhaustive list of quotes from well-known media figures that trash conservatives and Republicans and praise liberals and Democrats. The book was published in 1990, so some of its subject matter (Ronald Reagan, the Cold War) is dated, but other areas (economic issues, campaigns and elections) are still topical. Regardless of the topic, though, most members of the mainstream press have not changed their stripes, so the book is still as relevant today as it was almost twenty years ago.

I had to laugh at the one star review below, it is obvious this person didn't even read the book. The very point made in the book is that there needs to be balance in media viewpoints, NOT that journalists must not show any bias. In fact the book is quite explicit that it is impossible for human beings - filled as we are with personal biases - to write and report in an unbiased manner. The point of this book is that of those who shape and inform opinion in this country, the vast majority of them, nearly 90%, vote Democrat and support liberal, statist viewpoints. Journalists openly praise liberals like Jesse Jackson and denounce Republicans with predictable frequency. This is not even debateable, just watch Bryant Gumble for a year on the Today Show and just take a wild guess what his views are. Amazingly, in an interview with an activist trying to create awareness about flammable pajamas, Gumble laid the blame at the feet at Ronald Reagan! Now THAT is fair reporting! The book is loaded with such examples and anlysis, and is a great intro into the world of media studies from a political point of view, even though it was written 10 years ago before the internet and Fox News changed the landscape. Books such as Bernard Goldberg's are certainly more contemporary and a fine primer on turn-of-the-milennium bias. Just bear in mind that people will always have bias, and most journalists go into the profession to "change the world" - not be automatic, clinical relayers of information. That's ok, what this book argues for is that "diversity" (Aaaaach, a liberal word!) reach into newsrooms, and embrace people with viewpoints other than those at home in Jane Fonda's kitchen. How odd that network reporters can do stories about how much Castro has done for his people, then report on how terrible Ronald Reagan is. When viewpoints like this prevail in the major broadcast network newsrooms it is a wake-up call for things to change. Thankfully, in the 10+ years since this book was originally published, much has.

Many conservative populists rant about "liberal media bias" far too much. One gets the impression that they think there's a massive conspiracy to deceive the public. This discredits them and many of their ideas in the eyes of the average voter.Nevertheless, the evidence has been there for some time that the vast majority of the press and those in Hollywood vote Democratic and lean to the left. And this book, written by responsible social scientists, demonstrates the voting patterns, social backgrounds, and political beliefs of the majority of the power elite in Hollywood and in the major broadcast and print news outlets.What this book demonstrates is that most of the press and most of Hollywood lean to the left. This does not mean that any particular reporter or editor or news anchor intentionally goes out of his way to slant his reporting. What it means is that the average news reporter, editor, and producer (or Hollywood writer, director, or producer) has a set of attitudes about the world that he shares with most of his colleagues. The problem being that if everyone you work with shares your bias, if you're ALL a little left of center and everyone you encounter shares that, you will tend to be blind to when you're not being fair to other interpretations of events or history.To their credit, the authors do a great deal of in-depth research, showing areas where many in the press are actually rather conservative. On the whole, what they show to any open-minded person is that most in the media lean left on many major issues, and lean right on a few. This even leaves open the possibility that left-wing critics of the press are right sometimes, and that right-wing critics of the media are often correct.This book is must-reading for anyone who cares about the possibility that what we see in the media may not always be fair, and is open-minded enough to consider the possibility that the critics may have something. Unfortunately, the book is dated; none of the research goes past the 1980s. It badly needs an update. Let's hope the publishers see fit to do one.

If you would like to know which of today's top journalists, reporters and even news department heads worked as Democratic political staff members in the past, this is the first place you should look. This book even cites quotes (with references to the sources) from many supposedly impartial members of the news media showing their true political leanings, as well as polls of the media showing their voting records (about 9-to-1 for Mondale and against Reagan - is that representative of ordinary political views?). Anyone who doubts that the vast majority of the news media favors the Democratic party should check this book out. However, this is more of a reference source than a literary work, so don't expect great narration.

This book should be required reading for anyone who votes. After reading this digest of countless studies and polls, only one conclusion can be reached: the media are hopelessly biased to the left. 2 points off for dry presentation