'Liberal bias?' IU professors find network TV election coverage favors Republicans

[G_j]

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/9993.html


'Liberal bias?' IU professors find network TV election coverage favors Republicans


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A visual analysis of television presidential campaign coverage from 1992 to 2004 suggests that the three television broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC -- favored Republicans in each election, according to two Indiana University professors in a new book.

Their research runs counter to the popular conventional notion of a liberal bias in the media in favor of Democrats and against Republican candidates.

Maria Elizabeth Grabe and Erik Bucy, both associate professors in the Department of Telecommunications of IU's College of Arts and Sciences, report their findings in their book, Image Bite Politics: News and the Visual Framing of Elections (Oxford University Press).

"We don't think this is journalists conspiring to favor Republicans. We think they're just so beat up and tired of being accused of a liberal bias that they unknowingly give Republicans the benefit in coverage," said Grabe, who also is a research associate in political science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. "It's self-censorship that journalists might be imposing on themselves."

Grabe and Bucy's book is the culmination of the first major research project analyzing the relatively unexplored territory of visual coverage in presidential elections and how that influences public opinion. Between 1992 and 2004, they found, candidates were steadily shown more visually, in what they call image bites, while their verbal statements, or sound bites, decreased in average length.

..more..

[zbdent]

1. why is it that almost every study of "bias" in the media, based on reality and facts,

points out the absolute opposite of what Republicans scream? THAT THERE IS NO F*CKING LIBERAL BIAS IN THE MEDIA? THAT THERE IS IN FACT, A FAVORITISM TOWARDS REPUBLICANS/CONSERVATIVES???

Facts have a liberal bias ... that's the TRUTH ...

[emulatorloo]

3. Don't worry - Republicans will claim these professors are BIASED. n/t

[RTFirefly]

7. Yep.

Obviously, teaching in such a deeply liberal area as Indiana is corrupting their judgment. ;)

[emulatorloo]

2. Looks like a good book. Thanks for posting this EOM

[Wapsie B]

4. repugs will just say that this study is from a Liberal school

and try to diminish its importance.

[livefreest]

5. why do the PEW studies often show liberal bias?

The PEW Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism published this study on 2008 General election: http://www.journalism.org/node/13307

I was surprised by their conclusion of liberal bias in the media. I thought during the election all cable and network news were quick to echo GOP talking points. is this PEW thing really unbiased? or their methods are flawed?

[Viking12]

9. The Pew Report doesn't study bias.

It studyies the character of the coverage which isn't necessarily an indicator of any bias. The analysis is subject to the whims of the ebbs and flows of the campaign, in particular, the excessive attention to the 'horse race'. McCain was the subject of 'negative' news coverage because he ran a horrible campaign', completely self-induced.

[G_j]

6. k

[pnutbutr]

8. what stations they studied

"Cable news outlets...were not included in their research."

Did they just study local broadcast TV in Indiana? :eyes:
Of f'ing course it's gonna be biased toward republicans.

[G_j]

10. "three television broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC"

nowhere does it say they just studied local broadcast TV in Indiana