Perception is reality, right?
Well, according to the following study, Republicans have quit viewing network TV news in droves because of what they perceive to be liberally biased news coverage. What is interesting in the study is that these disgruntled Republicans have turned, not to objective alternative news media, but rather to purveyors of admittedly conservative political commentary such as Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, etc.
In a newspaper, the difference between news and opinion is clearly defined by the latter being confined to the Editorial and Op-Ed pages. In TV news, the line between objective news and opinion seems to be blurred from the perspective of the lay viewer, who tends to incorrectdly think that political commentators are journalists; and from too network news reporters and anchors, who seem to think that providing commentary along with the news is part of their job.
If newspaper reporters were to share their opinions in stories in print like TV reporters and anchors share their opinions, there'd be a lot reprimanded newspaper reporters.
A 2004 Pew study finds:
"Conservative claims of a liberal media bias are having an impact upon public perceptions of news coverage. According to research by the Pew Center, this led to an overall audience decrease for many of the major broadcast and cable television outlets and a perceived decrease in credibility for the news as a whole. Republicans have turned from traditional news sources to additional media such as Rush Limbaugh's radio program, Bill O'Reilly's TV and radio programs, and the Fox News Channel, while Democrats' viewing habits have remained mostly unchanged. This shift by the Republican audience has led to an overall polarization between where Republicans and Democrats obtain their news, with Republicans, and more specifically conservatives, becoming increasingly distrustful of the mainstream media.
Do you think that TV news reporters and news anchors go beyond "just the facts" and share their opinion and biases in their jobs?
23 November 2006
21 November 2006
O.J. Simpson fails to outfox FOX
FOX's Rupert Murdoch made a good decision to pull the plug on the O.J. Simpson TV special ... if the show had aired, it would have made FOX News "Fair & Balanced" over into a FOX News "National Enquirer" wannabe, look-alike.
It just goes to show that even in our seemingly values-neutral culture, there is still a line over which normal citizens know it is improper to cross.
If profits or ratings are the only motive for whether to do a story on network or cable television, then anything goes.
For now, at least, Mr. Murdoch has confirmed that there is still a line in the sand that FOX will not cross over.
It just goes to show that even in our seemingly values-neutral culture, there is still a line over which normal citizens know it is improper to cross.
If profits or ratings are the only motive for whether to do a story on network or cable television, then anything goes.
For now, at least, Mr. Murdoch has confirmed that there is still a line in the sand that FOX will not cross over.
16 November 2006
Clear Channel radio is taking itself private
If Clear Channel Radio ends up going private, will that the change the quality of this radio chain for the better or the worse?
15 November 2006
Katie Couric fails to deliver an audience for CBS
Know how you remember exactly what you were doing on the day that a tragic event occurred?
Like, for example, several months ago as I listened on my car radio in disbelief as Katie Couric's appointment as successor to CBS news anchor Dan Rather was announced. The news network over which Walter Conkrite once presided had decided that a journalism background was no longer essential for its anchor. Instead, it was decided that entertainment credentials trumped news reporting ones.
And so, it comes with little surprise to learn that the numbers are not doing so well, even with the likes of the well-dressed and once-popular co-host of NBC's lite-fare Today Show.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times this week, "Last week, the program continued to lag in third place, drawing an average of 7.76 million viewers to NBC's 9.8 million and ABC's 8.82 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS officials noted that their newscast has drawn 348,000 more viewers on average this season compared with last, while the other two networks have seen their audiences shrink slightly. But CBS' season-to-date gains have been among younger viewers; the number of adult viewers older than 55 has actually declined by 3%, a drop that has worried CBS executives."
What do you think?
Like, for example, several months ago as I listened on my car radio in disbelief as Katie Couric's appointment as successor to CBS news anchor Dan Rather was announced. The news network over which Walter Conkrite once presided had decided that a journalism background was no longer essential for its anchor. Instead, it was decided that entertainment credentials trumped news reporting ones.
And so, it comes with little surprise to learn that the numbers are not doing so well, even with the likes of the well-dressed and once-popular co-host of NBC's lite-fare Today Show.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times this week, "Last week, the program continued to lag in third place, drawing an average of 7.76 million viewers to NBC's 9.8 million and ABC's 8.82 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS officials noted that their newscast has drawn 348,000 more viewers on average this season compared with last, while the other two networks have seen their audiences shrink slightly. But CBS' season-to-date gains have been among younger viewers; the number of adult viewers older than 55 has actually declined by 3%, a drop that has worried CBS executives."
What do you think?
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