Media Criticism

In the blur of primary debates, interviews and other coverage associated with the 2008 presidential election, it can be difficult to gauge media bias. I watch most of the Sunday morning shows and try to watch as many hours of news programming during the week as possible. In my experience, I have noticed an effort by most outlets to feign a dispassionate interest in portraying all sides of the election. The Media Research Center seems to disagree.

Fox News reported about the Center’s latest study indicating that there were nearly twice as many stories on Democratic candidates as there were for Republican candidates in the first seven months of this year. The Fox News story was peppered with calls by the Center for an end to this double standard. I think it is interesting that the Media Research Center wants equal time for a group of white conservatives when there is more diversity in the Democratic presidential field.

A successful African American senator, a woman with significant experience in government, a Southern senator turned poverty warrior and a group that covers the full gamut of political perspectives form the Democratic field. If I was a news director and I had to choose time for one side or the other, I would go with the more interesting debate. It is true that both sides should get equal time in the general election. The problem with equality of air time during the primary season is that there are not always two primary races that are interesting to the public. Many people feel that the Democrats have a more compelling fight on their hands considering the extreme unpopularity of President Bush and the Republican Party in general.

My major issue with the Media Research Center’s findings is that private media sources have no compelling reason to give equal time. If Democrats get better ratings than Republicans for MSNBC or CNN, they will follow that lead. We should support public media outlets at the local, state and national level in our search for equity in media coverage for national politics. The Center is howling at the moon in trying to fight a “double standard�? when so many better sources of protest and information have fought the same battle.