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From: apm@cmu-ri-isl1.ARPA (Andrew Mendler)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reply to tim sevener re. Media usage
Message-ID: <203@cmu-ri-isl1.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 5-Mar-85 17:14:43 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-ri-i.203
Posted: Tue Mar  5 17:14:43 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 11:31:50 EST
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 39

"Classifications both direct and reflect our thinking.  The way we put things
in order represents the way we think" -- Stephen Jay Gould

There was a call for evidence of liberal bias, to demonstrate a systematic
distortion of the truth, proof that the reporter's views color and shape the
the news we see and read.  If you agree with the beginning quote then I
submit to you that I have that proof.

Evidence that the @b(MEDIA) is liberal can be demostrated by the number of
times they label people "conservative", as though that is something out of
the ordinary.  While rare is the time someone is called "liberal" since that
is what @i(they) see as the "status quo".

In particular, during the five year period ending October 31, 1984, The
Washington Post used the term "far right" 390 times and "far left" 131 times.
"Ultraright" was 47 times, "ultraleft" was only 12 times; "Ultraconservative"
was used 74 times, "ultraliberal" was used only 27 times.

Of stories referring to "extremists" of the left or right, 56 percent
referred to rightists and five percent to leftists; the remainder of the
stories referred to both left and right.  There were 58 stories using the
term "archconservative", and there was one story (one! uno!) using the term
"archliberal".

If you wish to have evidence which you can confirm yourself, Nexis lists 846
stories that have appeared in the nation's press in the last few years using
the word "ultraconservative".  Only 118 stories have used the word
"ultraliberal".

I could go on but I think I have made my point.  Politicians are "ultra" and
"arches" and "far rightists" by one standard only - the standard of the
prevailing opinion within the national journalistic community.  Ted Kennedy
is not an "ultraliberal" because, to the average Washington reporter, he
seems rather moderate.

				Drew Mendler
				apm@cmu-ri-isl1.arpa

"LIVE FREE OR DIE"