SKEWING THE NEWS?

February 18, 2002
		Do members of the news media report with a liberal bias? Marvin Kalb, formerly of NBC and CBS News and now with the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, responds to your questions.

Forum introduction How and when should ideological labeling occur on TV? How can journalists avoid "groupism"? Is TV news too NY or DC-centric? Isn't all history skewed? Why should the media be any different? Why do U.S. media shy away from foreign news? Does a liberal bias result from the media's self-selection? Can't one have an opinion and not be biased? How could the media be liberal when they're owned by corporations? What about Fox News Channel's alleged conservative leanings?     Online Special: Media Watch Jan. 24, 2002: Goldberg and Kalb on alleged bias in the press.	In his book Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News, former CBS News correspondent Bernard Goldberg takes his old colleagues and the media at large to task for alleged liberal leanings and economic elitism. The book has risen to the top of the bestseller list, topping The New York Times' non-fiction rankings last Sunday. Some critics say Goldberg is simply a disgruntled ex-employee, pointing to harsh personal assessments of some of his former colleagues. "In the end, he seemed to think his job was to report on CBS News instead of reporting for CBS News," Bob Schieffer, the network's chief Washington correspondent, told The Washington Post. "Bernie just seemed to be upset about everything. He was upset with the world." But others say Goldberg might be on to something. In a New York Times review in December, writer Janet Maslin said while Goldberg's book is meant to raise eyebrows, it also raises questions about how the news media frames its stories. "Mr. Goldberg has done real homework and has written a real book. Whatever his conclusions, however shaky his suppositions, he asks questions that are worth asking," Maslin wrote. Does the news media have a liberal bias? Is there a pervasive elitism among reporters? If so, what should be done to rid journalism of these influences? Editor's note: Bias author Bernard Goldberg, through his staff, had agreed to participate in this forum in January, but, as of now, has not responded to the questions the Online NewsHour sent him. Marvin Kalb, formerly of NBC and CBS News and now with the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, responds to your questions below. Kalb's latest book is One Scandalous Story: Clinton, Lewinsky and 13 Days that Tarnished American Journalism.
	Frederick Bartlett of Hamilton, NJ asks: What should be the official policy of organizations such as CBS, NBC and PBS regarding ideological labeling? When should such labeling occur? Marvin Kalb responds: In my judgment, if a description such as "conservative" or "liberal" helps advance our understanding of the story, then it's fair and proper to use such labels. If the label is used in an offensive, negative manner, then it should not be used. Period. This is not brain surgery. Most professional journalists know when they are using a label to make a political point, or when they are helping their reader or viewer understand the context better. The former is wrong. Back to top   C.J. from Austin, Texas asks: What should journalists be doing to avoid conservative or liberal "groupism" – as well as the practice of re-reporting what other organizations already report? Are there journalists out there working to help individuals think for themselves? Marvin Kalb responds: Yes, there are such journalists -- those in the business of helping others think for themselves. Those who re-report the news, without independent check or confirmation, are doing a very poor job indeed. Giving journalism a bad name. Most of my book One Scandalous Story is directed against such sloppy reporting. Back to top     Steve Templeton of Houston, Texas asks: The Big Three news agencies need to recognize that views from New York or Washington do not fairly reflect the views of middle Americans. Wouldn’t you think that the sooner the views of the rest of the country are reflected, the less news agencies would be accused of elitism? Marvin Kalb responds: When an anchor sits in NYC, he is not necessarily reflecting the views of NYC, as you suggest. If he were seated in Kansas City but delivering the same news, would it really make any difference? I think you are suggesting a fallacious argument -- that if someone is broadcasting from Washington, he/she is reflecting a Washington view. They in fact may be reflecting a Washington view, but they may not be, too. What is central is that wherever they are, they be presenting as close to a fair and honest rendition of reality as possible. That's the best we can ever do. Back to top   Scott Greenwell of Ogden, Utah asks: Of course the news is skewed, just as history is skewed, along with just about everything else in life. Any body of information that is passed along is filtered in some way. So what’s the big deal? Marvin Kalb responds: What indeed is the big deal! It is that many ascribe to TV news people a political view of the world described as elitist and liberal. That may be true, but it may not be true. And even if it is true, does that necessarily mean that the news is presented from a liberal perspective? If a dentist is conservative, does he drill teeth from the right? A journalist can be conservative or liberal and still present a honest rendering of the facts. That has been my experience for more than 40 years. Back to top   Edward Chadband asks: The news media in the U.S. is skewed against foreign coverage as well. Why does the American news media fail to report world news like it’s reported in other major Western countries? So much is not said – especially when American foreign policy is hand-in-hand with corporate America’s policy. Marvin Kalb responds: As I explained, or tried to, in my new book, One Scandalous Story, the U.S. news media are today driven by two powerful forces -- economics and technology, both pushing the industry towards higher profit margins without regard to professional responsibility, such as covering the rest of the world. That's why CBS and others cut their foreign bureaus (and therefore coverage) so drastically in the '90's, leaving us totally unprepared for 9/11. That must change and change quickly and dramatically. But in truth I fear that we shall again be seeing less of the world when Afghanistan recedes from our consciousness. Back to top   Eugene Day of Washington, DC asks: Do you think a liberal bias may result from the self-selection process that brings people into the news business? It’s not clear to me that there is anything wrong with this or that it could be remedied unless one is willing to artificially recruit "representative" news staff. Marvin Kalb responds: Two points: one is that it's not pre-selection by political perspective (liberal/conservative) but rather by a sense of adventure, travel, courage (certainly not money, though anchors make lots of money) that move people in the direction of a journalistic career; and two is that there is already a somewhat "artificial" move towards balancing the newsroom with X numbers of women, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc. If those folks are qualified, I see nothing wrong with such balancing. In fact, there hasn't been enough of it. Back to top   Jean-Pierre Beugoms of Taipei, Taiwan asks: Just because most reporters seem to have liberal opinions does it necessarily mean that they are biased? Can’t one have an opinion and not be biased? Marvin Kalb responds: Yes, one can have an opinion and not be biased, but the broadly accepted view here is that opinion is bias and bias is always towards the left. I disagree strongly. More and more networks and radio stations reflect primarily a conservative view. Back to top   Liz Robinson of Boulder, Colorado asks: How could one suggest liberal bias with a straight face? What corporate media is owned by a liberal company? The myth of liberal media was invented by the radical rigid right. Marvin Kalb responds: Not quite the "radical rigid right." I'd say it all goes back to Spiro Agnew's first assaults on the networks in November 1969, when the Nixon administration was trying to stifle anti-Vietnam criticism -- and succeeded. Since then the notion that the media is left-leaning has gained prominence. People now accept that idea as fact. Too bad. Back to top   Joel Riddle of Portland, Oregon asks: What about Fox News Channel on cable, which is openly far right? Marvin Kalb responds: Yes, FOX is proudly conservative. And so much else in today's "media" tilts to the right. The op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal, almost every talk show on radio, from Rush to others, Weekly Standard, etc. So when one speaks of the media as liberal, one is doing the media a disservice. For the most part, the major newspapers and networks report the news fairly straight. Then if one wants opinion, one can also get it just about anywhere. Back to top