Bernard Goldberg, author of the New York Times bestseller, “Bias,” has opened my eyes to the liberal bias in the media that is not only evident, but also widespread.
I agree with Goldberg, and head of FOX News, Roger Ailes, that the media divides people in to two groups: moderates and right-wing nuts.
Those on the left are merely middle of the road.
Those who believe in anything right of center are branded as bigots, old-fashioned or unsympathetic.
Goldberg makes his case in imagining a nation where the news is not broadcast nightly from Manhattan, “the most liberal enclave in America (except maybe for Hollywood and a few college towns),” but from a place similar to Omaha, Nebraska.
Now imagine that these Nebraskan media elites are overwhelmingly conservative.
They favor the death penalty, are pro-life, and anti-affirmative action. They are surrounded by conservatives who share the same beliefs, and report stories that reflect their values, because it’s simply the right thing to do.
Would these be straight news stories?
Of course not.
As Goldberg put it, “Do we really think they’d cover abortion and affirmative action and gay rights the same way?
Or would their conservatism, reinforced by their surroundings, their friends, and neighbors, somehow – in some vague, subtle way – influence how they see the world and how they report the news?”
The influence is evident.
Not only when the tables are turned in a make-believe conservative society, but in real life, where liberals rule the media.
For example, AIDS was an unknown disease that had gone on a killing spree, and AIDS activists and gay lobbyists used the media to educate America.
It was not only drug addicts and gay men involved in promiscuous sex; AIDS was now everybody’s problem, and no one was safe.
The media ate it up.
So, did the government, spending close to $5 million on an “AIDS Doesn’t Discriminate” campaign that ironically, targeted one large group – heterosexual Americans.
After all, it was the right thing to do.
Finding a cure for AIDS should be one of our top priorities, and those with AIDS should not be treated as lepers.
We need funding, educatio, and a cure.
But we don’t need to scare America while doing it.
In 1992, the Center for Media and Public Affairs studied network television stories and concluded that, “TV’s visual portrait of AIDS victims has little in common with real life.”
They cited that six percent of the people with AIDS shown on the evening news were gay men.
In real life, that number is 58 percent.
On television, 16 percent of people with AIDS were minorities, mainly blacks and Hispanics.
In real life, that number is 46 percent.
The media try be accurate and unbiased, but they are swayed by their effort for high ratings and political correctness.
It’s considered unsympathetic to say that gay men and minorities account for the bulk of AIDS victims – but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Next week: Liberal bias concerning homelessness.
Brandon Lausch can be reached at Goskateboarding2000@hotmail.com.
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