1. From nattering nabobs to the Fox News Channel
Media bias
From nattering nabobs to the Fox News Channel

2. Are the media liberal? Washington reporters vote Democratic
Credit: Media Research Center
Washington reporters vote Democratic
Do personal views affect fair coverage?
Should we have balanced news staffs?

3. Age of objectivity Partisan press gave way to mass media
In first half of 20th century, opinion press was tiny
Broad cultural consensus, little ideology

4. McCarthy era Coverage exposed limits of objectivity
Edward R. Murrow (left) challenged McCarthy
Accused of making news, not reporting it

5. Civil-rights era Media on the side of equal rights
Opponents portrayed as ignorant
Backlash gave rise to modern conservative movement

6. Vietnam War
Reporters like David Halberstam (left) reported war was going badly
Media blamed for losing the war
Parallels today to the war in Iraq

7. Nixon and the media “Silent Majority” was unhappy with cultural change
White middle-class voters were trending Republican
Media seen as liberal elitists

8. Spiro Agnew Denounced media as “nattering nabobs of negativism”
Battled press over Pentagon Papers and Watergate
Accusation against the media lived on

9. Ronald Reagan Perception was that media were tough on him
Lowest moment was Iran-Contra affair
Little evidence of negative coverage

10. Rise of conservative media
Rush Limbaugh and other radio hosts attract millions
Wall Street Journal editorial page
Fox News Channel appeals to sense of resentment

11. William Kristol
“I admit it — the liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures”

12. The so-called liberal media
Whitewater a scandal that wasn’t
Lewinsky a bigger deal with the press than the public
Gore was smeared with phony claim that he’d “invented the Internet”

13. A theory of media bias
Mainstream is liberal on cultural issues like gay marriage
Small but influential conservative press “works the refs”
Political reporters strain not to be seen as biased

14. Voices on the left Small publications like The Nation
Radio hosts like Ed Schultz (left) and Stephanie Miller
Left-leaning Web sites like the Daily Kos and Blue Mass. Group

15. An infamous interview