Food for Thoughtlessness

Here we go again. An intrepid MSNBC reporter has uncovered further evidence supporting conventional wisdom, i.e. that journalists are liberal. The report concludes that "journalists dole out cash to politicians" and that most "newsroom checkbooks leaned to the left." MSNBC identified 144 journalists, of whom 125 gave money to "Democrats and liberal causes." Ipso facto, the reporting of those 125 journalists isn't "objective." Well, the MSBNC didn't actually say that, but the rabid right already is foaming at the mouth with "I told you so's."

Michelle Malkin is predictably outraged and offers her own breathtakingly superficial analysis: "The Left wants increased regulation to address the lack of ideological diversity in talk radio. What do they have to say about the lack of ideological diversity in America's newsrooms?" When Malkin suggests that the monolithic left wants more regulation of talk radio, she is actually referring to a new report by a single left-leaning think tank, the Center for American Progress. CAP examined why political talk radio is dominated by conservatives:

The two most frequently cited reasons are the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 and simple consumer demand... neither of these reasons adequately explains why conservative talk radio dominates the airwaves.

Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept of broadcast, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management.

In looking at more than 10,000 commercial radio stations, the CAP report reveals some telling statistics about who owns radio in this country and what it means for political talk. Stations controlled by group owners are "more likely to air conservative talk" while stations owned by local owners, minorities and women are "less likely to air conservative hosts or shows." Although there are some major shifts underway in radio station ownership, the industry is and will remain dominated by group owners.

Which brings me back to the MSNBC report. It doesn't give us the scoop on political contributions by media corporations themselves and their top executives. I'm sure the right-wing media mavens won't address that fact. Nor will they acknowledge the perverse impact on journalists of all political persuasions of the endless accusations of "liberal bias." We all know that too many journalists, afraid of being called liberal, strive for "objectivity" rather than truth. Objectivity as a goal can be a good thing except when it results in "he said/she said" reporting, which rarely gets to the truth but often satisfies some self-styled media watchdogs. Plus it's easier than real reporting. And I have no doubt that conservative pundits won't look at the institutional barriers to challenging the status quo, conventional wisdom and authority in general. No, it's all too complicated. And, after all, as Stephen Colbert once told White House correspondents, "reality has a well known liberal bias."