Free Republic

THE share of Americans who believe that news organizations are "politically biased in their reporting" increased to 60 percent in 2005, up from 45 percent in 1985, according to polls by the Pew Research Center. Many people also believe that biased reporting influences who wins or loses elections. A new study by Stefano DellaVigna of the University of California, Berkeley, and Ethan Kaplan of the Institute for International Economic Studies at Stockholm University, however, casts doubt on this view. Specifically, the economists ask whether the advent of the Fox News Channel, Rupert Murdoch's cable television network, affected voter behavior. They...

Since the dawn of the Automobile Revolution, automobile marques have been proactive in their approach to appeal to certain segments of society. By targeting these groups, automakers would find a much higher loyalty rate in an increasingly unloyal industry. Even today this tradition continues, with companies such as Toyota appealing to the youth market with its Scion brand, BMW and Mercedes appealing to the affluent market, Buick appealing to the understated senior market, and Subaru and Volvo appealing to the aging hippy market. One demographic spoken for by a large multinational automaker that often raises a bit of controversy, however,...

Germany is the home to an automobile industry that is admired and respected worldwide. Their products range from low to high end, with almost every manufacturer commanding respect in their target demographics. From the success of introducing the world’s first luxury marque at Mercedes-Benz, to pioneering the mix of luxury-sport at BMW AG, almost all German automobiles are revered. Lately, however, there has been one sore thumb in the almost exclusive group. That would be the long-heralded heritage of home-grown Volkswagen AG. Volkswagen, literally “people’s car,” has been producing vehicles in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their...