This is the third post fisking a Raleigh News & Observer "story" that appeared in the news columns but belonged on the editorial page. The first post is here; the second is here.
In this third post we pick up the story where the N&O's "news story" tells readers:
Talk radio contains 10 times as much conservative talk as liberal talk, according to a study released last month by The Center for American Progress, a research and educational institute that works for "progressive and pragmatic solutions," and Free Press, a group that focuses on media competitiveness.Not so fast, liberal/leftist N&O.
The report, "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio," found that among the 257 news-talk stations owned by the top five commercial station owners, 91 percent of the talk was conservative and 9 percent was progressive. Ninety-two percent of the stations did not broadcast a single minute of liberal talk, according to the study.
Those numbers are providing ammunition for critics.
Readers who use a search engine will easily find The Center for American Progress homepage.
A little more searching and they’ll learn that the – ahem – “progressive” Center’s President and CEO is John Podesta, who served faithfully as White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton.
The Center’s Distinguished Senior Fellow is former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.
And then there’s Jennifer Palmieri. Readers who access her bio at the Center’s site will learn [excerpt]:
Jennifer Palmieri is the Senior Vice President for Communications at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Palmieri was the National Press Secretary for the 2004 Edwards for President campaign. She held the position of National Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee during the 2002 election cycle, and is an eight year veteran of the Clinton White House.Anyone who spends time at the Center’s site will quickly realize it’s staffed by Democrats who lean liberal and left.
The N&O should be honest with readers, say the Center is a liberal/leftist Democratic dominated advocacy group and let readers judge for themselves how reliable and objective it’s “report” findings are.
More tomorrow.
I’m not finished with the Center or the N&O’s slanted “news story.”
3 comments:
The News & Observer isn't interested in facts. The newspaper's editors and McClatchy editors believe they can spin this stuff by readers. How insulting!
I wonder if NPR included in this tally of conservative versus liberal talk radio. I used to love to listen to NPR, but its slanted and anti-american programming has become too obnoxious.
-RD
If the democrats suceed in reinstituting the fairness doctrine these AM radio station owners had better realize that will be the end of AM radio. We saw listenership to the music side of radio take a plunge with the advent of IPODs and downloading. The consumer was able to listen to what he wanted, when he wanted. I would predict that most current talk show listeners aren't going to tune in to hear stations with half the format whiny no talent Air America types. I predict the talent will got to satellite. I will either pay the $10 a month and follow the talent or learn to get along without hearing political talk. Either way there will never be a need to tune in the radio in my car or at my home.
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