A Short History of ‘Liberal Bias’ in the Media

When Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum both complain of bias from Fox News that catches one’s attention. When two columnists “report” that some see “that Fox News is morphing into just another liberal leaning voice” (link), one starts to laugh and laugh. In this morning’s New York Times there’s a wonderful 1,500 word essay called “The Boys Who Cried Fox”. The essay takes a short look at the history of  the charge liberal bias in the press from the 1950s to the present day.

The funny thing is that this role reversal is the end product of a process that was set in motion by the conservative media. Having spent decades promoting the charge of bias, they have helped strip it of meaning. These days, bias translates roughly to “reporting something I don’t like,” a reflexive defense against stories that cut against conservative interests. (Liberals claim bias, too, but here we’re focused on the curious spectacle of right-on-right crime.)

The essay touches on Nixon, Agnew, Palin and an extremely bad study on media from the 1968 election cycle.

Edith Efron, a writer for TV Guide, began documenting liberal bias for a book called “The News Twisters,” which appeared in 1971. With research funds that Buckley made available, Efron compiled what purported to be a scientific study of liberal bias. Her method? Watching news coverage of the 1968 election and tallying up favorable and unfavorable comments about Richard Nixon.

This methodology was clearly susceptible to confirmation bias, and sure enough, Efron concluded network news followed “the elitist-liberal-left line in all controversies.” (An internal review by CBS in response to the book found, also unsurprisingly, that its coverage was balanced and largely neutral.) Despite its weaknesses, Efron’s book won accolades across conservative media. “The News Twisters” soon became a best-seller, thanks to Nixon.

Take a moment from your day and read Nicole Hemmer’s “The Boys Who Cried Fox”.