Bias in the Media?

"Appearing in Newsweek's November 9, 1992 issue by Jim Squires: 'It's hard to imagine Ross Perot as the answer to anyone's prayer.' This quote displays obvious dislike for Ross Perot. Another example as written in Newsweek's November 2, 1992 issue by Johathan Alter: 'The main reason the President has received a bad press is that he's done badly.' This statement is obviously opinionated." MA

"Within the media, if a majority of the writers/news anchormen lean toward one candidate or the other, then this bias will show ever so delicately in their style of reporting, becoming the equivalent of a subliminal message. It is well known that words carry certain connotations. Therefore, if one candidate is portrayed as tired and worn out, and the other as vibrant and full of life, which would you feel would be better equipped to handle the stresses of a national office?" PA

"If the media was making Bill Clinton out to be an unbeatable candidate back in January, it is no wonder he won in November." KS

"The media also tends to portray candidates as either good or bad. In the 1980 presidential race a desperate Jimmy Carter began to lash out at his opponent, Ronald Reagan. The Washington Post portrayed him as a man gone haywire...Clinton, on the other hand, has been portrayed as the little boy being beat up by the big bully, George Bush." PA

"The Media Research Center studies by S. Robert Lichter and Stanley Rotham, who compiled their findings of 240 leading journalists and their personal views . . . found that 81% of the journalists voted for Democratic candidates between 1964 and 1976, and supported affirmative action. An overwhelming 90% surveyed were pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Another poll, taken by the same researchers, questioned reporters on their sources; 75% of the time liberals were consulted, conservatives only 22%. However conservative groups were labeled 58% of the time, when identified, while liberal groups were tagged with the leftist term only 2%." OK

"Kennedy in his thirties was the young hero our nation needed as President, but Dan Quayle in his forties was too young to be our Vice-President. Interestingly, Kennedy, a man of extreme wealth, was never portrayed as an aristocrat. However Day Quayle who's wealth was much less (than) that of the Kennedy dynasty, was characterized as a privileged, country club rich boy. . . It was apparent in the Bush-Clinton election and it was apparent in the Bush-Dukakis election, the media has walked all over the Republican Party. They deliberately belittle certain candidates and can manipulate reporting to make the Grand Old Party appear as eliteists, negative, and out of touch." KY

"In this year's election, instead of providing full coverage of all candidates, each station went for what they believe sells news . . . the liberal side." IL

"In an article titled Debate Left Bush in the Cold, they accused Bush of not having enough 'zip.' That title was totally subjective. Zip? So what if Bush isn't fifty years old anymore. I always thought that being older makes one wiser." KY

"Most of the time, Republicans and independents are looked down upon and made fun of, while Democrats are presented favorably." IL

"I rarely heard anything in favor of Bush while even Clinton's occasional jog was glorified as a monumental event." OR

"In my opinion, the media was the one who elected Bill Clinton, not the voters. The media made George Bush out to be the bad guy in the debates and interviews. The media told the American people that they needed a change and that change lay with Bill Clinton." OK

"Election of 1992; Bush-Quayle vs. Clinton-Gore. Rather, should we say, Old Stupid vs. New Smart. This was how the media perceived this past election." NE

"(Talk show hosts) have been able to contribute to their candidate and promote their show by creating controversy. Does this suggest profit as a motive for biased reporting?" KY

". . . the press is eager for a change. A change from the same old stories and ideas to fresh new ideas that are different. A new administration is good material for news stories." TX

" The public should also be able to accept information or exclude it as they wish. For example, in Time, October 19, 1992, there was an article Are the Media Too Liberal?. In this article, a Washington reporter was quoted as saying, 'God, I hope Bush doesn't get re-elected. It'll be so boring, no fresh ideas, the same old people running the show and more Capitol Hill Gridlock. A Clinton Administration would be a much better story.' This was an excellent job of this reporter: he spoke what he felt and might have persuaded a few voters. This is the job of the media." IL

"In this election, I think the media was biased against George Bush simply because if elected president, Bill Clinton would give them something new to write about." AR

"It seems they the media forgot to tell the American public about Clinton's problems in his own state. It seems Clinton's great state had many problems of its own. But we never heard about those. We only heard about the glory stories of Clinton." OR

"The media's support for Clinton was probably the clearest example of bias that evolved. It seemed to me that the media could have made their position so much clearer if they just would have come out and said: 'We're for Bill!' or 'Vote Clinton for Change!'" OH

"I feel that this past election was wrapped around Clinton. Everything was Bill Clinton in the media's eye. Bill Clinton was going to win. So if the media thought he was going to win then (this) opinion rubbed off on the people." NY

"Favorite candidates of the press are given unfair advantages such as more coverage, different types of questions, and less scrutiny. No, the media cannot create news, but it does choose what is reported." MD

"The media has the ability. . . to support one candidate over another by either running a disproportionate amount of good coverage on the candidate they support or a disproportionate amount of bad coverage against those they don't." MI

"When newspapers and magazines take sides with one candidate or another, or editors put in articles that support their party preferences, readers get a biased report of the presidential race." MN

"The media's way of thinking for the people is through their bias shown in an election. . . The media always has its favorites and lets the American people know who those favorites are." PA

"Although television and the press claim not to be biased, it is very obvious that they are. Many stories reported in newspapers will disgrace one candidate while praising another. The writer may not purposely do this, but often the reader can detect which party or candidate is being supported." OH

"The media, important as it may be, is a fairly prejudiced system. Maybe not prejudiced against color or creed, as in the past, but against a person or an idea." CA

"The media's ability to cover candidates fairly and not take sides is a joke. The media is biased." IL

"Most of the major newspapers in the country openly endorsed a candidate during this last election. How can a form of media that chooses one candidate over another remain unbiased?" MD

"The whole reason journalists sensationalize what they report on is to influence public opinion and to sell their work. Why is this popular in the United States? People like gossip. Here in many of the small towns of the midwest that is people's favorite pastime. They seem to get a tremendous joy out of it. So I can see why the media reports the news the way it does. That still does not excuse bad behavior." SD

"Jeff Beauchamp, the vice-president station manager for WBAL 11 Radio, agreed that indeed the media is very biased. Reasons he stated that contribute to this problem are the media's hunger for viewers/listeners and, therefore, the inclination to focus on sensationalism rather than the candidates' actual stands on issues and their plans to better help the United States." MD

"CNN. . . had a special report on whether the campaign coverage was being fairly reported. The purpose of the program was to alleviate complaints that the campaign coverage was one-sided. The outcome of the program resulted in a group of 'smug' journalists talking about how fair coverage really was. Just as there should be a balance in nature, the American people should be provided a balance in journalism." OK

"I think it would be nice if we could buy a newspaper that told us just the facts, covering both sides of a story equally. I think that there would be a large market for a paper like that and the people would be more informed and able to come to their own conclusion instead of following the biased opinions of the media." OR