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LEE WEBB: Joining us now is Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, the leading media watchdog group in the country. And he's just written a book about media distortion and bias. The book is titled "Weapons of Mass Distortion: The Coming Meltdown of the Liberal Media." Brent, good to have you with us.
BRENT BOZELL: Hi, Lee. How are you doing?
WEBB: I want to ask you about - there's no question that there is a liberal bias in the media - but some in our audience would be pretty surprised to hear that there's a meltdown coming of the liberal media. What evidence do you have of that?
BOZELL: Well, I look at the trends, and I look at the numbers, and they're telling me that the media really are in trouble. Consider that since 1994, the big three broadcast networks have lost about 50 percent of their audiences. Consider that people are turning away from newspapers left and right. Consider that CNN, once the flagship of cable news, is in a complete free fall. Consider that if you want to find MSNBC on the ratings, you need a pretty good set of binoculars, they're so far down the path. And ask the media, "Why is it that everyone is leaving you?" Their answer is always, "Well, because there is too much competition out there," and they point to different news outlets, like talk radio and the Internet and what not. Now, if that were true, how does one explain Fox? How does one explain the fact that while everyone is dropping, Fox has been climbing like a meteor in the last five years. It's all alone in first place. It's not competition, or, in fact, just competition; it's a different sort of competition. If Fox were just like CBS, Fox wouldn't have lasted for five minutes. Fox is doing what it's doing because it's different. The same thing holds true for talk radio. The same thing holds true for the Internet. There's a tremendous movement away, an exodus, from the mainstream press. Now, they're faced with a conundrum: "Do we continue going at business as usual, or do we acknowledge the reality that we've lost our audiences and try to regain them?" The evidence so far is they'd rather go down in flames.
WEBB: I want to get just some examples from you on media bias as we head to the November election. But before, I wanted to read to our viewers, one, that you point out in your book, about something that Brian Williams said after a debate in 2000. I've always kind of looked at Brian as a likable, even-handed sort of fellow, but here's what he said in a post-debate coverage: noted that the Republicans were "rather strident tonight. Anti-gay, pro-Jesus and anti-abortion, and no gray matter in between." That's pretty outrageous, isn't it?
BOZELL: Yes. Yes. As I point out in the book, he may have meant gray "area." Gray matter is a personal slap at conservatives. I don't think he meant it, but there's the attitude that you have. Isn't it interesting that on the social issues, conservatives are always portrayed as being the controversial ones? We're the extremists. Abortion is a classic example. And in the book, as I point out, with abortion, all you have to look at is the polling data. Don't take my word for it. Take Faye Wattleton of NARAL's word for it. A majority of the American people today call themselves pro-life. Overwhelmingly they're opposed to the pro-abortion agenda of federal funding, of non-parental notification, of partial birth abortion. Those are far-Left extremist positions, and yet the media consistently portray them as mainstream, just as they're doing with the gay movement.
WEBB: Do you think those who are going to vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate have a willing ally in the liberal media?
BOZELL: Oh, yes. I was watching this weekend, or listening on the radio, to ABC News, and it just struck me that every report is the same. Whenever there's a development on that front, it is always a positive, exciting new development for the gay movement that they get to marry. There's energy behind the news. And then there is the, "Well, there go those Christians again." There's that dour part that comes in at the end of the show, with some very disgruntled Christian complaining about it.
WEBB: Brent, I want to ask you about the foundational element of all of this, and that's journalism schools. It was drilled into me when I was going through college, objectivity, objectivity, objectivity. Do you think we just need to get away from that whole notion that you can be objective when you're reporting on a story, and get to the issue of being fair?
BOZELL: See, objectivity is a myth. It never did exist, never will exist. It can't exist. Human nature being what it is, we're all opinionated to one degree or another. Everything in the news media is subjective. It begins with, on The 700 Club, why did you choose the stories you chose to cover today? Subjective decision. Who did you put on? Subjective decision. How much time did you give both sides? Subjective decision. Everything in the news media is subjective to one degree or another. People who say they're objective are perpetuating a myth. And what do you do? You ought to be striving for truth. You ought to be striving for that holy grail of objectivity. But to do that, you've got to incorporate balance, you've got to recognize what your own personal biases are, and you've got to seek the other voices on the other side. Some people, Fox, does a very good job of that. I don't think that ABC gives a hoot and a holler about that on coverage on things like the war. They just don't want to be evenhanded. And where economics is concerned, no matter what truth is, the economy is going very well. How many people have you seen recently report that the economy today is doing better than it was this time four years ago, under Bill Clinton?
WEBB: Well, Brent, it's a fascinating read. The title of the book, "Weapons of Mass Distortion: The Coming Meltdown of the Liberal Media." If you're interested in buying Brent's book, it's available on our website at CBN.com. Brent, again, great to have you with us.
BOZELL: Thank you, Lee. My pleasure.
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