Keep On Believing

Earnest libs get reassurance that there is no liberal media bias, with predictable but amusing results.

Per James Rainey, media columnist for the LA Times citing a recent Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University study, the media has not been in the tank for Obama during the general election campaign against McCain.  The study is not currently available at the CMPA website, but the result is quite different from the pro-Obama tilt shown in the primaries.

Here is Rainey with his summary:

The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.

You read it right: tougher on the Democrat.

During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative.

Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center.

Conservatives have been snarling about the grotesque disparity revealed by another study, the online Tyndall Report, which showed Obama receiving more than twice as much network air time as McCain in the last month and a half. Obama got 166 minutes of coverage in the seven weeks after the end of the primary season, compared with 67 minutes for McCain, according to longtime network-news observer Andrew Tyndall.

Well.  The CMPA scores statements (i.e., words) as positive or negative; images don't count.  So if you think that the endless coverage of Obama with US troops, generals, foreign leaders and adoring crowds were neutral, then you can take this result semi-seriously, although there is still the vast pre-ponderance of "neutral" air-time devoted to Obama.

Steve Benen provides the laugh with his analysis (my emphasis):

Most of the reporting from the evening news was opinion-free...

Conservatives have been emphasizing that Obama has been getting far more coverage than McCain. As it turns out, that’s true. But if most of the coverage of Obama is negative...

Good point!  But since Mr. Benen has already assured us that most of the coverage is "neutral" (imagery excluded), the notion that most of it is negative collapses.

Comments

[Annoying Old Guy]

Old Media's perception of reality is radically different than mine. I got in to an argument with a practicing journalist on a topic related to this, and his counter argument was that the current Obama mania is no different than the love affair Old Media had with former President Reagan back in 1980-1988, and that there was no crush on Clinton (who was apparently got ten times the vitriol from the press that Reagan did). That's not quite the same as my memory of those decades.

[kim]

Benen did note that when on air news strayed into opinion it was negative for Obama. He's not quite so self contradictory as he seems, but he is still completely full of it.
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[kim]

AOG, and what a pitiful counter argument even if it were true. It's supposed to be a good that the press is so in the tank? What is the matter with these people?
======================

[pagar]

Has any one actually seen one of these MSM articles that was negative on Obama?

[Sara]

Ann Althouse on Frank Rich:

Barack Obama's overseas trip seems like the scenario for some Borat-style movie to Frank Rich.

He never would have been treated as a president-in-waiting by heads of state or network talking heads if all he offered were charisma, slick rhetoric and stunning visuals. What drew them instead was the raw power Mr. Obama has amassed: the power to start shaping events and the power to move markets, including TV ratings.

Don't forget the power to turn back the rising oceans!

You know, I just passed up one breakfast spot — here in Beverly Hills — because they had Chris Matthews — Chris Matthews! — effusing off the flat-screen TV on the wall. Now, I'm in a café that is mercifully free of television, awash in mellow music. There's no thrill-up-the-leg Matthewzing to get on my nerves as I try to inject the appropriate amount of caffeine into my veins.

But there is still Frank Rich. Oh! The Power! The Raw Power! Ah! Stunning! Slick! And oh-so-manly POWER!

Sorry, Frank. He's married.

[kim]

Heh, sounds like Rich thinks Obama is creating his own reality. I guess we won't hear any more about the 'reality-based' crowd, as if.
=====================================

[kim]

I don't think libs and progressives even pretend anymore that the press is unbiased; they just revel in it. They consider you naive if you expect evenhandedness even on news, not just opinion, where the imbalance is not at all subtle. The journalists still pay mock respect to getting both sides of an issue out, but that's often all it is, something on the politically incorrect side is mockable.

Then again, where would internet conversations be without the MSM to get it wrong. We'd still be in the coffee shops.
===================================

[sbw]

Point one: I sent a couple of graphs of fawning Obama coverage from a nameless wireservice to a nameless executive of the nameless wireservice. The subject of my email said, "I think I'm going to hurl!"

That executive passed on my comment to editors noting that coverage should not join the mania.

Point two: A transcript of any NPR coverage of national and international news will find overwrought words every single day.

I suggest that, one, the methods of these political scientists will not stand up to scrutiny and, two, it's not worth the scrutiny.

[Sara]

Today is one of the biggest races in NASCAR, The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Speedway. Between 400,000 and half a million in the stands, millions and millions watching on TV. Take a quick look at the race on ESPN and tell me how many of that sea of humanity do you think plan to vote for the Big O?

[glenda waggoner]

Sara:

On point, exactly!!! Nascar fans are Patriots with common sense. If only, our
politicians of every stripe were. Go #88!

[Elliott]

Some probably buy at Big O, though.

[MikeS]

The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.
28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative.

The data must have been corrupted by all those bullsh*t stories claiming Obama had changed his position on one issue or another. That lying liberal press is in the tank for McCain and Bushitler.

[Soylent Red]

I don't think libs and progressives even pretend anymore that the press is unbiased; they just revel in it.

The real moonbats rant about how MSM is in the pocket of conservative interests. Apparently one or two articles a month badmouthing the Obamessiah makes for conservative bias.

OT...

Today I looked at the bottom of my water bottle, from which I have been drinking for the last 6 months, and discovered the dreaded number 7. Since I keep it in a neoprene sleeve, it went unnoticed.

No use crying over spilled genetic damage, but I was wondering what all of you JOMers think of stainless bottles. I have an aluminum backpacking bottle, but it is a dent magnet, and I'm not crazy about going to a different form of plastic (number 7 was safe until it wasn't).

[clarice]

Let's review the bidding, Soylent:
1. For good health you need to be hydrates.
2. The plastic water comes in is supposedly bad for the environment altho increasingly it is recycled into useful products.
3. The reusable Lexan bottles are reportedly harmful.
4. Many stainless bottles are lined with epoxy which is also bad for you.
Conclusion--you will die from dehydration or chemicals if you do not use the throw away bottles.

[Sara]

things we learned about barack obama this past week

His whirlwind foreign tour that brought him to Jordan, Israel, Germany, France, Britain, Iraq and Afghanistan, finally put to rest the question as to where those seven extra states were that he thought he had visited.

More ...

[jimmyk]

Has any one actually seen one of these MSM articles that was negative on Obama?

Headlines from negative articles on Obama:

"Obama: He cares too much"
"Obama mistaken in thinking he'd made mistake"
"Michelle on Barack: He works too hard"
"Obama too nice for presidential campaign?"

[Soylent Red]

Screw it Clarice...

I'm going to find an aborigine and have him carve me one out of a rock. At this point it probably doesn't matter since my DNA has been scrambled up and all my little uber-Soylents are going to come out with one eye and gills.

Seriously, I'm probably going over to a stainless one if I can find a way to get the metallic taste out of it.

[pagar]

I guess I just haven't been looking. It's easy to see now that JimmyK has pointed them out.

Imagine electing a president who cares too much. Obviously, no one would want a president who mistakenly thought he had made a mistake, that would definitely be a negative.

All work and no play makes one dull, so working too hard is definitely a negative.
A voter would certainly not want a president that was too nice. That does it for me, with all that negative stuff hanging over his head I will not be voting for Obama.

[clarice]

Soylent--I use a teflon pan to make the morning omelet; I smoked for decades; I eat bacon and other processed meats..I'm probably not the best person to ask--But I will note that science is working itself over to my side:sat fats are okay; margarine is bad for you; teflon's okay unless you smoke it; chocolate is good for you and so is wine and the Atkins diet.

Just saying'

[sbw]

Soylent, what is more important is whether or not you will be carrying the bottle.

If you are, go for light weight plastic and take your chances on the chemicals.

After all, most of us are going to end up dead eventually and, listening to Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, it's how you live the life you have that matters... and you're already doing quite well on that score.

Travel well.

[AST]

Once they've concluded that he's our next president, it's OK to go negative on him. They've completely the coronation and are on to the criticism.

[kyle]

Let us not overlook the irony here...the very same edition of the LAT which featured Mr. Rainey's attempt to ignore the last several months of reality included editor's notes telling us that the Real Estate section (which first appeared in 1901) and the Opinion/Book Review sections would be folded into other sections of the paper (with Opinion to be included in the News section--like it wasn't there already). One reason revenue and subscribers have plummeted is the inclusion of such poorly reasoned and reported articles like Mr. Rainey's.

[Thomas Collins]

It would be interesting to see what the study was coding as negative nuggets of coverage on BWorldSaviorO. For example, suppose a mention that BWSO was modifying his positions to move to the center was coded as negative. That might have equal weight with a report on a McCain slip of the tongue. Yet, MSM might underreport the many slips of the tongue of BWSO. So, the coverage might seem to be equally negative, but would actually be favoring BWSO by underreporting his slips.

In addition, some of the examples of bias are hard to prove. For example, what if BWSO had challenged McCain to a series of town meeting style debates but McCain had dodged them. I suspect that the MSM would have been trumpeting McCain's avoiding debates, but this would be tough to prove. What we do know is that BWSO's dodging McCain has not earned him negative coverage with MSM.

Then again, how could we expect BWSO to debate his actual opponent (or visit wounded US soldiers) when he is spending his time in transformational world diplomacy.

[PeterUK]

Can't see what is wrong with something in gold plate,takes away the taste and stops the silver from corroding.

[K T Cat]

It's not bias if everyone that surrounds you believes the same thing. Then it's just the mainstream opinion, right?

[memomachine]

Hmmmm.

"Well. The CMPA scores statements (i.e., words) as positive or negative; images don't count. So if you think that the endless coverage of Obama with US troops, generals, foreign leaders and adoring crowds were neutral, then you can take this result semi-seriously, although there is still the vast pre-ponderance of "neutral" air-time devoted to Obama."

I'd be happy if they'd just stop photographing Obama with various halos around his head.

And the unicorns. Stop including the unicorns. And rainbows. So no more halos, unicorns and rainbows.

That's a nice start.

[Jane]

The real moonbats rant about how MSM is in the pocket of conservative interests.

Actually the talking point is that the media is as conservative as the conservatives that own it. They of course dictate the message.

[DaleinAtlanta]

Surrender, Socialism, Taxes: Vote Obama '08

[PeterUK]

"I believe for every drop of rain that falls
Obama grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
Obama glows
I believe for everyone who goes astray, Barrack will come
To show the way
I believe, I believe".

Pass the sick bag Alice.

[Ralph L]

Can't see what is wrong with something in gold plate
Napoleon's favorite.
You could always stand on your head and drink your own urine. No bottle required, and a refreshing face-wash if your aim is off. Have I spoiled anyone's dinner?

[SteveG]

Todays LA Times had an Obama article on the front page, below the fold which continues on a full page inside.
McCain gets a small article on the following page along with this bias study.
The bias study article which claims no bias was longer than anything McCain had written about him in the Sunday Times.

[PeterUK]

Yes,he knew a thing or two about campaigning did old Napoleon,had all the right kit.

[Hood, Wink]

I believe dad went to Harvard. I believe Obama went to Harvard. Wife went to Harvard. Kennedy pals. Afghanistan cash.

It wasn't just the brother in Kenya, but the one in China too? Obama's betrayal? The whole family is on the CIA payroll. Pay me. So, CIA gets another STOOGE in the White House.

[Ralph L]

Hood, you've out-weirded me. I give up.

[section9]

I've said it once and I'll say it again: the entire Obama Campaign is nothing more than the political equivalent of an advertising push for Penis Enlargement Pills.

Without the required endorsement of Mr. Ron Jeremy:

"The Hardest Working Man In Show Business"

They don't work. Neither will he. (Obama that is. Ron Jeremy is said to work very hard for his money...).

[Elliott]

PUK,

What about the great spiritual Obama knows the trouble I've seen?

[Elliott]

Saw this at Politico:

While McCain and Bush have similar views on most social issues, including abortion, McCain's candidacy may mark a return to an era of blue-blooded Republicans less vocal about their religious beliefs. Barack Obama, by contrast, speaks comfortably and frequently about his faith.[emphasis added]

Did anyone else keep a straight face?

[hit and run]

Faith. Hope. And Change.

And the least of these is faith.

But he does speak comfortably and frequently about his faith in Himself.

[Elliott]

Ann,

Why were you endorsing Doug Ross' list of ten suggested questions for Obama? I thought you were aware that eight is the maximum of number interrogatives the President presumptive will entertain.

[Elliott]

Faith. Hope. And Change.

No, no, no. It's Faith, Hope, and Charity.

[kim]

Something I never knew before is that FH&C were 12, 10, and 9 years old.
=======================

[Rick Ballard]

“ENERGIESPAREN MACHT FREI”

Here's a fine example of the type of task The One has in mind for the ObamaJugend. Get ready, Mom and Dad - O! has a place ready for you in the ANWR Protection Battalions. Year Zero is just around the corner and Junior needs a merit badge.

[hit and run]

Well, sure, but I was going for campaign literature

[section9]

Where does one go to start a scurrilous rumor about Maureen Dowd and The Onester?

That's okay kids, I read today's Dowd gusher about her interview with Jesus Hussein Christ so you wouldn't have to.

Just don't go there. Not for the faint of heart.

[hit and run]

Rick:
Here's a fine example of the type of task The One has in mind for the ObamaJugend.

Somewhat related, but without the full on global warming hysterics (just interpersonal ones). We're in a drought here, right? You can only water your lawn 3 times a week, and only before 10am and after 4pm.

There's a family who just had a sprinkler system installed. And apparently the people who installed it set the timer, but switched am and pm. So it would go off during the day.

And some anonymous neighbor called the neigborhood association. Who called the state.

The neighbors whose sprinkler was inadvertently going off during the day had to drive to Raleigh to appear before some water board commission hearing something or other to plead not to have to pay the several hundred dollar fine.

Really pisses me off. That whoever made that call wouldn't just pick up the phone or head over to the neighbors and discuss the matter like an adult.

[Elliott]

Well, sure, but I was going for campaign literature

Fiction or non-fiction?

[Rick Ballard]

"Fiction or non-fiction?"

Elliot,

How would one make such a determination? The exegesis of anything emanating from The One must be interpreted through use of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle as digested by Schrödinger's cat. No binary result can be obtained through such interpretation.

The purpose of Life is to Experience The One - that's all the information anyone needs.

[hit and run]

Double plus unfiction.

[RichatUF]

Rick-

Creepy, but nothing the watermelons come up with should be...

Winston follows the woman into her flat and tries to unblock the sink. This flat, like Winston’s own is dingy and miserable, clearly indicating the appalling living conditions under the Party’s regime. While in the Parson’s flat, Winston is horrified by the behavior of their two children. Both the boy and the girl have been indoctrinated by Party organizations like The Spies and the Youth League. They play with toy weapons of war and dance around Winston calling him “Eurasian”, traitor, “thoughtcriminal” etc. Winston reflects that within a few years they would not be playing, they would be holding real weapons instead of toys and would turn in their own parents to the thought police if they displayed any signs of unorthodoxy or nonconformity.

[RichatUF]

Rick-

Creepy, but nothing the watermelons come up with should be...

Winston follows the woman into her flat and tries to unblock the sink. This flat, like Winston’s own is dingy and miserable, clearly indicating the appalling living conditions under the Party’s regime. While in the Parson’s flat, Winston is horrified by the behavior of their two children. Both the boy and the girl have been indoctrinated by Party organizations like The Spies and the Youth League. They play with toy weapons of war and dance around Winston calling him “Eurasian”, traitor, “thoughtcriminal” etc. Winston reflects that within a few years they would not be playing, they would be holding real weapons instead of toys and would turn in their own parents to the thought police if they displayed any signs of unorthodoxy or nonconformity.