Liberal Bias? Where? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Rekna · 03-02-2007, 08:03 AM

The other night on the Letterman show John McCain said "lives have been waisted in Iraq". Now to me I clearly know he didn't mean that they were waisted and he miss-spoke. But if this had been a democrat saying this they would have been crucified in the media. However, I have only seen a single mention of this in the media and it was in the last paragraph of an unrelated story. If the media is liberal biased why is it we see every gaff that a democrat makes on every front page but we don't see it when a republican makes it?

Dilbert1234567 · 03-02-2007, 08:06 AM

the liberal bias is a conservative ploy

ubertuber · 03-02-2007, 08:12 AM

Rekna:

To be fair, I remember seeing numerous articles about McCain's freudian slip. In fact, a simple search for "mccain troops" on google news yields oodles of hits. Obama got more notice because he did it first.

Frankly, I think all these guys keep slipping and saying this because it is what they really think. I'm waiting for someone to stand by their words. If we didn't get what we wanted or needed from Iraq, and if our reasons for going there were incorrect (or at best unsatisfied), then how were those lives not wasted???

edit: In fact, go back and do the same search on "obama troops" and you'll see that you find much less relevant results at the top. In fact, these results include stories about McCain. That could be because Obama's gaffe happened longer ago. Or, using your logic, it could be because there is liberal media bias.

So all in all, I think your simple point fails. I'm not saying that there is or isn't media bias (in fact, I think there is, but it is much more complex than being "liberal" or "conservative"), but I really don't think that you can construct anything from this one incident and the reporting. If you were inclined to try, you'd probably have to conclude the opposite of what you started with.

cyrnel · 03-02-2007, 08:29 AM

I think the problem is that McCain, by virtue of his ever-so-flexible convictions, has become a Spottedtroutowlbearhawk. How the hell do you know if he's "in season?"

Does anyone really trust him enough to care? (from the media's care=viewers perspective)

Rekna · 03-02-2007, 08:46 AM

Ubertuber i'm talking from my experiences. I read Foxnews and CBS headlines and Political headlines at least 10 times a day every day. I remember when Obama's and Kerry's gaffs happened and they were all over. The same with the democrat who called Obama a "clean" black man but really meant fresh not clean. These gaffs were well publicized on the front of the major networks. I haven't seen a thing on either of these sites about McCains other than the last paragraph of an article on foxnews about him visiting Utah. And in that paragraph it mentioned that he apologized for his comment and corrected it.

As for Google news searches those are ordered by most recent so it would make sense to find news from yesterday more than news from a month ago.

ubertuber · 03-02-2007, 08:56 AM

ABC/AP (many others have it too, including FOX)
CNN
CBS
NY Times
TIME
Washington Times

The blogs are going crazy too.

Rekna · 03-02-2007, 09:09 AM

Well since I only ready CBS and Fox News typically my sample size is small. But i would point out the CBS article does not headline his remark like the other sites are. Also it is important to know where they are placing these articles. Are they on the front page or are they buried deep in some subsections? Carrying articles does not always indicate bias or lack thereof. Instead simple placement of those articles can be indicative of bias. Now I expect Fox News to bury something like this but CBS? Isn't CBS one of the so claimed worst offenders of liberal bias?

A further example of this is Gore's energy usage. It was on the front page for 3 days on both fox news and CBS. I felt that article was a total wash and wasn't even worthy of news.

ubertuber · 03-02-2007, 09:13 AM

Not sure about CBS and their liberal bias. I'm actually not up on what people are saying about that these days.

I'll have to read more later - I'm at work so I was mostly going for the low-hanging fruit. It's worth noting that now that Reuters and the AP have things on wire the story is showing up everywhere.

03-02-2007, 08:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	Liberal Bias? Where? The other night on the Letterman show John McCain said "lives have been waisted in Iraq". Now to me I clearly know he didn't mean that they were waisted and he miss-spoke. But if this had been a democrat saying this they would have been crucified in the media. However, I have only seen a single mention of this in the media and it was in the last paragraph of an unrelated story. If the media is liberal biased why is it we see every gaff that a democrat makes on every front page but we don't see it when a republican makes it?

03-02-2007, 08:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	the liberal bias is a conservative ploy __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

03-02-2007, 08:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
ubertuber spudly Location: Ellay	Rekna: To be fair, I remember seeing numerous articles about McCain's freudian slip. In fact, a simple search for "mccain troops" on google news yields oodles of hits. Obama got more notice because he did it first. Frankly, I think all these guys keep slipping and saying this because it is what they really think. I'm waiting for someone to stand by their words. If we didn't get what we wanted or needed from Iraq, and if our reasons for going there were incorrect (or at best unsatisfied), then how were those lives not wasted??? edit: In fact, go back and do the same search on "obama troops" and you'll see that you find much less relevant results at the top. In fact, these results include stories about McCain. That could be because Obama's gaffe happened longer ago. Or, using your logic, it could be because there is liberal media bias. So all in all, I think your simple point fails. I'm not saying that there is or isn't media bias (in fact, I think there is, but it is much more complex than being "liberal" or "conservative"), but I really don't think that you can construct anything from this one incident and the reporting. If you were inclined to try, you'd probably have to conclude the opposite of what you started with. __________________ Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam Last edited by ubertuber; 03-02-2007 at 08:16 AM..

03-02-2007, 08:29 AM	#4 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	I think the problem is that McCain, by virtue of his ever-so-flexible convictions, has become a Spottedtroutowlbearhawk. How the hell do you know if he's "in season?" Does anyone really trust him enough to care? (from the media's care=viewers perspective) __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

03-02-2007, 08:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
ubertuber spudly Location: Ellay	ABC/AP (many others have it too, including FOX) CNN CBS NY Times TIME Washington Times The blogs are going crazy too. __________________ Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam

03-02-2007, 08:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	Ubertuber i'm talking from my experiences. I read Foxnews and CBS headlines and Political headlines at least 10 times a day every day. I remember when Obama's and Kerry's gaffs happened and they were all over. The same with the democrat who called Obama a "clean" black man but really meant fresh not clean. These gaffs were well publicized on the front of the major networks. I haven't seen a thing on either of these sites about McCains other than the last paragraph of an article on foxnews about him visiting Utah. And in that paragraph it mentioned that he apologized for his comment and corrected it. As for Google news searches those are ordered by most recent so it would make sense to find news from yesterday more than news from a month ago.

03-02-2007, 09:09 AM	#7 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	Well since I only ready CBS and Fox News typically my sample size is small. But i would point out the CBS article does not headline his remark like the other sites are. Also it is important to know where they are placing these articles. Are they on the front page or are they buried deep in some subsections? Carrying articles does not always indicate bias or lack thereof. Instead simple placement of those articles can be indicative of bias. Now I expect Fox News to bury something like this but CBS? Isn't CBS one of the so claimed worst offenders of liberal bias? A further example of this is Gore's energy usage. It was on the front page for 3 days on both fox news and CBS. I felt that article was a total wash and wasn't even worthy of news.

03-02-2007, 09:13 AM	#8 (permalink)
ubertuber spudly Location: Ellay	Not sure about CBS and their liberal bias. I'm actually not up on what people are saying about that these days. I'll have to read more later - I'm at work so I was mostly going for the low-hanging fruit. It's worth noting that now that Reuters and the AP have things on wire the story is showing up everywhere. __________________ Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam