Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite

The ongoing, exploding "documentgate" scandal at CBS is a further vindication of Bernard Goldberg. This book is positively prophetic and sheds a lot of light on how scandals such as the ones that have plagued CBS, USA TODAY, and the NEW YORK TIMES could have happened. He exposes the tremendous blindness that arrogance among the media elites produces, and why they continually fall into traps that they have set for themselves. Goldberg is proof that there are still liberals out there with principle and conscience. An excellent writer and communicator who possesses tremendous knowledge and passion about his subject, Goldberg will not only keep the reader's attention, but will likely raise the reader's blood pressure...and IQ.

Arrogance by Bernard GoldbergReviewed December 8, 2003Being a self-confessed news junkie, all I can say is that it is about time someone dealt with liberal bias in the major media. Katie Couric is bad enough, but when Bryant Gumbel was on the Today Show the bias was so self-evident that I was dumbfounded that liberals could look me in the face and innocently say, What Bias? The rolling of the eyes, the disappointing sighs, and the askance looks which were exclusively reserved for conservatives. Hey, how about Matt Lauer interview of Charlton Heston. Can anyone out there cite me one liberal that has been treated with such disrespect?Unlike Hilary's vast right wing conspiracy Goldberg repeatedly refuses the attribute liberal bias in the news to a conspiracy. The liberal bias is due to the fact that liberals tend to be drawn to journalism, they attend liberal schools; they live in liberal cultural centers such as New York City. The result is that there is hardly a national journalist who would describe himself or herself as liberal. All their friends, family as associates think like them, so they conclude that they are middle of the road. Hence, the media elite constantly refer to label conservative academics, politicians and research groups as conservations; whereas such groups as NOW, physicians for social responsibility, a plethora of public interest groups and such politicians as Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean rarely are labeled as liberal. The inference that the news audience draws is that those who are labeled as conservation are pushing an agenda, whereas those liberal groups that are given a bye on the liberal label are unselfishly working in the nations best interestThe book is very well researched, citing Nexus searches, interview, articles, etc. This is not a rating of a dissatisfied employee, or some conservative wacko, it is a reasoned argument about news bias. The sad conclusion that Goldberg reaches is that news bias is one discussion that liberals will not even discuss. Anyone who puts forth a reasoned argument for bias, is immediately dismissed as a right-wing wacko or as a racist bigot. I could write several more thousand words, but you would be much better served by reading this insightful book.

A funny, easy read, but lots of heft, too. In particular, I liked the chapters on the journalist identity-politics associations and the Columbia School of Journalism. Re: the former -- Goldberg points out that journalists who belong to any of these groups (black journalist associations, gay journalists associations, women journalist associotions, and so on and so on ...) have compromised their objectivity immediately and have no place in any newsroom. He's right. They should be banned outright. Or else consigned to the editorial page (or TV equivalent) and identified as a partisan. Good step one for rooting out bias in the newsroom.Also -- Columbia Journalism School -- what's the story there??? If this is where networks and elite papers are recruiting, no wonder news has such a pc-undergraduate feel to it.Lots of good stuff. Plus, Goldberg is funny & doesn't take himself too seriously. I also like the fact that this isn't a ranting, name-calling romp through the mud.

The book is, despite a few quirks, and some odd additions, excellent. For those who have seethed with anger at Dan, Peter, Tom, and Perky Katie, Goldberg gives some relief. Its nice to know you are not alone.I had noted the new effort, by the left, to say the media has a "conservative bias." I found it funny, and wondered when we would hear more about it. Thanks to "Arrogance," we have. The sheer, well, arrogance of the arrogant media has become sick, with constant and deliberate efforts to cover the truth, select the "truth," and shape public opinion.I would recommed this book to anyone, liberal or conservative, who wanted to know more about the "news" they are getting. What we are getting is "as false as an old set of dentures," or something else folksy Dan Rather might say.

Yes, most of us already knew that there was a pervasive, media bias, but were afraid to admit it to ourselves. Bernard Goldberg makes it okay with his first book, Bias, and now this follow up title that is even better than the first. I will warn you now that this is a hard book to put down. It is both freeing and sickening to read about how our news is corrupted by the personal agendas of the liberal elites that run the major news outlets. Goldberg takes us step by step through the hows and whys and gives us ways to recognize media bias. Now that we can admit the problem exists and have the tools to recognize it, we can move forward and challenge the media to provide a fair and balanced picture of local and world events.