Posted on 06/01/2004 8:06:01 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
NPR's Juan Williams doesn't see any liberal bias in the media and, damning with faint praise, insisted: "I think the New York Times is mainstream American journalism." Williams made his remarks during a Fox News Sunday panel segment devoted to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press survey which found that amongst national media outlet reporters, editors, producers and executives, five times more, 34 percent, identified themselves as liberal than the piddling 7 percent who called themselves conservative.
Williams, a senior correspondent at NPR and a former Washington Post reporter, countered that somehow advertisers prevent any liberal bias: "When they ask the advertisers who determine what gets on TV and what gets in the papers, guess what? They're conservatives."
A dumbfounded Williams asked: "Where is this radical liberalism that we see on TV? I don't see it?...Do you think the New York Times is a radically liberal institution?" Brit Hume answered: "I don't think The New York Times is radically liberal. I think The New York Times is liberal." That prompted Williams to make the above-quoted claim that the Times delivers "mainstream American journalism."
He's correct since "mainstream American journalism" is journalism through a liberal prism.
Host Chris Wallace set up the June 1 session with Williams, Hume, Roll Call Executive Editor Mort Kondracke and Weekly Standard Executive Editor Bill Kristol: "I want to talk about poll, a fascinating poll that was put out this week by the Pew Research Center. And let's take a look at it."
With matching numbers on screen, Wallace ran through some findings: "They asked national print and broadcast reporters how they would describe their own politics. Thirty-four percent said they were liberal, 54 percent said moderate and 7 percent said conservative. By comparison, among the general public, 20 percent say they're liberal, and 33 percent of the general public say they're conservative.
"Two other interesting results. Fifty-five percent of national reporters see the media as not critical enough of the President. Only 8 percent say they're too critical. And finally, 88 percent of the national media say society should accept homosexuality. Only about half the public agrees [51 percent]." "Mort Kondracke , big surprise?"
Kristol: "No. Plus, a lot of those 54 percent say they're moderate, they're really liberal too. (laughter) So it's even more skewed. The 7 percent is the striking number. You know, two-fifths of Americans call themselves conservative and, what, I can't do the math-"
Hume: "One-fourteenth."
Kristol: "-one-fourteenth, -fifteenth of the media calls themselves conservative. So when, it's no accident that the New York Times has to have a special reporter assigned to the conservative beat. They cover it sort of like a foreign country, to explain to the editors and the readers of The New York Times what's going on in that strange world of conservative America, which is two-fifths of the country."
Hume: "And note this, too, the use of the word 'liberal.' You cannot find politicians today who will admit, with few exceptions, that they are liberal. They are all now 'progressive.' I wonder what would have happened had that word had been used in lieu of liberal. I think a lot of those people who decided they would identify themselves as moderate would have popped up in the progressive camp, making that number even larger."
Kondracke: "A couple of other interesting things. Only 5 percent of the national reporters thought that objectivity and balance, or the lack thereof, is a problem for that national media. And 60 percent of them could not name a single news organization that they regard as liberal, which indicates that they don't understand what kind of a situation they are in. I mean, these 54 percent who are moderates I think are, a lot of them are liberals and don't even know that they're liberals....
William soon joined in: "This is one of the situations where they might find that reporters say they're liberal, moderate, whatever, however you want to put it, Bill, but the fact is, who are their editors? They don't ask the editors. They don't ask the owners, who owns these publications."
Hume: "Sure, they do."
Indeed, a point for Hume. The Pew survey did include editors and publishers and news division executives at broadcast outlets. Pew listed these job descriptions for those it polled:
Executive Level TV & Radio: President/CEO, Vice President, General Manager, Station Manager Print: Publisher, President/CEO, Vice President
Senior Editors and Producers TV & Radio: News Division Executive, Executive Producer Print: Assistant Managing Editor, Managing Editor, Executive Editor, Section Editor
Working Journalists and Editors TV & Radio: Bureau Chief, Senior Producer, Correspondent, Anchor Print: Bureau Chief, Senior Editor, Columnist, Associate Editor, Reporter, Correspondent, Assignment editor
For Pew's methodology page: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=831
Undeterred, Williams plowed on: "Well, let me tell you, when they ask who owns, when they ask the advertisers who determine what gets on TV and what gets in the papers, guess what? They're conservatives. So they are setting the tone. They're hiring the reporters. And believe me, they're muting any of the so-called liberal -- where is this radical liberalism that we see on TV? I don't see it."
Hume: "I don't think there's a lot-"
Williams: "Do you think the New York Times is a radically liberal institution?"
Hume: "I don't think The New York Times is radically liberal. I think the New York Times is liberal."
Williams: "Liberal?"
Hume: "Liberal."
Williams: "I think the New York Times is mainstream American journalism."
Hume: "Well, it may be mainstream American journalism, it's a very wide mainstream we have in this country, Juan. But if you are asking the question does it tilt right or left, it unmistakably tilts left."
Williams: "No, I think it should tilt in a way that would challenge authority."
Hume: "Ah, here we go. Ah, yes."
Williams: "You don't think journalism should, in fact, challenge-"
Hume: "Ah, the romance of journalism, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. To challenge authority, speak truth to power."
Williams: "Is that wrong, Brit?"
Kristol interjected the key point: "They should challenge liberal authority."
Williams: "They should challenge all authority."
Kristol: "I agree, but they only challenge those conservatives who occasionally find themselves in positions of authority."
Williams embodies the very problem of bias. He assumes he's mainstream when he's really a liberal who doesn't see any liberal bias and so is befuddled by the complaint.
For the Pew poll released on May 23: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=214
It seems apparent NYT front page photos concerning US troops consist mainly of funerals, prisoner abuse, grieving widows, etc. Rarely are our troops shown in a favorable light on the front page.
Also has anybody tracked the commentary by the NY Times reporters? Just before the war in Afghanistan, I recall heavy speculation by the Times of a bloodbath, then during the pre-invasion Air Force bombing, there was more speculation that "it wasn't working".
Just wondering if there is any watch group keeping an eye on the Times.
Those who don't LQQK can't SEE................
I love it when Brit slaps Juan down.
That pretty much says it all. Journalism should be driven by an agenda, not by an unbiased reporting of facts. At least he was willing to admit it.
Juan Williams appears to always be saying something stupid. Job security, I suppose. I wonder how many of these Libs really believe what they are saying or is it really the paycheck?
They've gouged out their eyes so that they don't have to see.
"A dumbfounded Williams"
Regardless of subject, this phrase could be use to describe him. Look at his face at any given time on that program and you will see a look of self induced ignorance. The only way to actually believe his arguments is to remain ignorant of the truth!
I used to think Juan Williams was at least a fair liberal. Having heard this, I take back my former opinion of him.
For - Hume
Against - Williams
Score 1 - 1
You mean as one Freeper put it, when Britt gives Williams his weekly spanking? LoL
Over the weekend I was at the local Barnes & Noble looking at the "current affairs" section. There were at least 50 anti-Bush books there, one of which - I forget the title - accused the Bush administreation of suppressing freedom of the press. Looking at all the ant-Bush, anti-Iraq war books in that section, I had to laugh at the paranoia of liberals who say that the administration and the "corporate, right-wing media" are controlling the flow of information in this country.
I don't know if you watch Oreilly, but last week he reported that the NY Times ran the Abu Ghraid story as front page news for 28 straight days...with something like 50 stories total. The LA times was only a little better with 26 straight days.
They had some celebrity guests where the panel had to put on blinders. The panel only had to wear the blinders for about 5 minutes.
Juan Williams it seems wears blinders 24/7.
Apparently, Juan Williams doesn't support the "We Report, You Decide" mantra at Fox News.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
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