President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[Non Sequitur]

In light of the recent discussion in this thread about media bias, here is a very long but excellent read from James Bennett, former Opinion editor of the New York Times who was forced to resign after the Tom Cotton editorial was published:

When the New York Times lost its way
America’s media should do more to equip readers to think for themselves
https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/...s-lost-its-way

If you can read the whole thing and still conclude that the mainstream media, of which the New York Times is the very personification, does not have major liberal bias, and even worse, "[metastasizing] from liberal bias to illiberal bias, from an inclination to favour one side of the national debate to an impulse to shut debate down altogether." then, well..., then I don't really know what to say because you would be living in a reality that is completely different from my own.

The media should have a liberal bias. Do you think conservatism should be equally represented? I don't.

[Copelius]

The media should have a liberal bias. Do you think conservatism should be equally represented? I don't.

Of course you don't.

[Non Sequitur]

Of course you don't.

I also don't think the opinions of neo-Nazis should be afforded the same legitimacy in the media as those who are not neo-Nazis. But that's just me.

[beefytee]

One of the big problems with trying to dismiss ideas is that many people are more concerned with who is speaking rather than considering the ideas and thoughts being expressed. It is an easy way to dismiss ideas if we can apply offensive labels to those expressing them including dismissing the media.

Labeling groups of people left or right, or more extreme like socialist, fascist, or even terrorist doesn’t help the conversation much. If the idea is really so extreme, it can easily be dismissed without label the group or person.

This is why I’m less concerned about a media bias than I am about the events or ideas being shared.

I do think the media is generally going to lean left mostly because they are based out of major metropolitan areas and the concerns in those areas are more related to liberal concerns.

When you are packed together in a close area, your concerns are more about the government solving your problems and getting people to play nice together as opposed to more rural areas where you are more concerned with the government leaving you alone as they tend to just get in the way.

This is obviously an oversimplification of things but I think it generally is true.

Cue the people who want to call me a commie!

[Jeff Lebowski]

I also don't think the opinions of neo-Nazis should be afforded the same legitimacy in the media as those who are not neo-Nazis. But that's just me.

The nazi card. lol.

Have a little self respect for heavens sake.

[USUC]

One of the big problems with trying to dismiss ideas is that many people are more concerned with who is speaking rather than considering the ideas and thoughts being expressed. It is an easy way to dismiss ideas if we can apply offensive labels to those expressing them including dismissing the media.

Labeling groups of people left or right, or more extreme like socialist, fascist, or even terrorist doesn’t help the conversation much. If the idea is really so extreme, it can easily be dismissed without label the group or person.

This is why I’m less concerned about a media bias than I am about the events or ideas being shared.

I do think the media is generally going to lean left mostly because they are based out of major metropolitan areas and the concerns in those areas are more related to liberal concerns.

When you are packed together in a close area, your concerns are more about the government solving your problems and getting people to play nice together as opposed to more rural areas where you are more concerned with the government leaving you alone as they tend to just get in the way.

This is obviously an oversimplification of things but I think it generally is true.

Cue the people who want to call me a commie!

Media bias has become a more prominent "problem" as media has concentrated. Even if you go as far back as the Eisenhower administration, the "national" media had a liberal bias. Every GOP administration in the last half of the 20th century dealt with a more hostile Washington Post and NYT than Dems. It was baked into the system. But traditional news was much more diverse and reliant locally than it is now. Local newspapers were much more conservative and focused more on local issues. But market forces killed local newspapers and the internet/rise of the information age has made all politics national. And here we are.

[old_gregg]

One of the big problems with trying to dismiss ideas is that many people are more concerned with who is speaking rather than considering the ideas and thoughts being expressed. It is an easy way to dismiss ideas if we can apply offensive labels to those expressing them including dismissing the media.

Labeling groups of people left or right, or more extreme like socialist, fascist, or even terrorist doesn’t help the conversation much. If the idea is really so extreme, it can easily be dismissed without label the group or person.

This is why I’m less concerned about a media bias than I am about the events or ideas being shared.

I do think the media is generally going to lean left mostly because they are based out of major metropolitan areas and the concerns in those areas are more related to liberal concerns.

When you are packed together in a close area, your concerns are more about the government solving your problems and getting people to play nice together as opposed to more rural areas where you are more concerned with the government leaving you alone as they tend to just get in the way.

This is obviously an oversimplification of things but I think it generally is true.

Cue the people who want to call me a commie!

this is correct ("fake news," "failing new york times," etc.). this is a boomer trump facebook special. but, the acceptance of bias is different from accepting something like fox news, the founding premise of which is to reshape the ideological trajectory of discourse.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You guys should read up on 19th century politics to calibrate your media bias meters.

[beefytee]

You guys should read up on 19th century politics to calibrate your media bias meters.

That's that standard, is it?

[falafel]

I also don't think the opinions of neo-Nazis should be afforded the same legitimacy in the media as those who are not neo-Nazis. But that's just me.

Sorry bro, that's not the America I want to live in in the year 3000.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That's that standard, is it?

Just a general comment that media used to be far more biased and political than it is now. People used to buy or create newspapers for very specific political objectives - and make no secret about it. And they were vicious.

[Commando]

Just a general comment that media used to be far more biased and political than it is now. People used to buy or create newspapers for very specific political objectives - and make no secret about it. And they were vicious.

Like the Nauvoo Expositor!!

[falafel]

Like the Nauvoo Expositor!!

Or the Völkischer Beobachter!

[USUC]

You guys should read up on 19th century politics to calibrate your media bias meters.

"The Press" in the early to mid 1800s in America was wild. The papers were essentailly controlled by the political parties (or extensions of the party) and were focused on local issues. Fascinating era. There is a great chapter in De Tocqueville's Democracy in America that details the newspapers and it's role in society during that time. But the penny press supplanted that, then the reaction to yellow journalism eventually brought about the idea of objectivity.

[Non Sequitur]

The nazi card. lol.

Have a little self respect for heavens sake.

Not the Nazi card. The neo-Nazi card. Duh!