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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsWhat Liberal Media?: The Truth about Bias and the Newsby Eric Alterman
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:The question of whose interests the media protects — and how — has achieved holy-grail-like significance. Is media bias keeping us from getting the whole story? If so, who is at fault? Is it the liberals who are purported to be running the newsrooms, television and radio stations of this country, duping an unsuspecting public into mistaking their party line for news? Or is it the conservatives who have identified media bias as a reliably inflammatory rallying cry around which to consolidate their political base as they cynically "work the refs"? The media has become so pervasive in our lives that regardless of exactly where on the ideological fence you sit, the question of media bias has become all but unavoidable.
Most of the criticism (and anger) has so far emanated from the political Right, which has offered us the rather unconvincing argument that a systematic Left bias is destroying the quality of news and debate in our country today. Journalist and historian Eric Alterman begs to differ. What Liberal Media? confronts the question of liberal bias and, in so doing, provides a sharp and utterly convincing assessment of the realities of political bias in the news. In distinct contrast to the conclusions reached by Ann Coulter, Bernard Goldberg, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly, Alterman finds the media to be, on the whole, far more conservative than liberal, though it is possible to find evidence for both views. The fact that conservatives howl so much louder and more effectively than liberals is one significant reason that big media is always on its guard for "liberal" bias but gives conservative bias a free pass. After reading What Liberal Media? you will understand that the real news story of recent years is not whether this newspaper, or that news anchor, is biased but rather to what extent the entire news industry is organized to communicate conservative views and push our politics to the right — regardless of how "liberal" any given reporter may be. Review:"[W]hatever your politics, Alterman delivers well-documented, well-argued research in compulsively readable form. His chapter on business journalism, for instance, is a thrill-ride....Whether readers agree with Alterman or not, his writing on the business of opinion making is eye-opening. This book will be required reading for anyone in politics or journalism, or anyone curious about their complicated nexus." Publishers Weekly Review:"[A] sobering reminder that TV long ago abandoned serious journalism and that watchdogs and skeptics are thin on the ground in all media — bad news for those who believe a vibrant, informative press is one of the bedrocks of democracy." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Highly readable and well documented, this makes an effective antidote to Slander, Ann Coulter's screed (which Alterman takes on full force); it will be interesting to see if he gets the same amount of media time she did, despite his being neither leggy nor blonde. The myth of the liberal media is an idea that is gaining currency; this is a strong opening salvo in that much-needed discussion." Ilene Cooper, Booklist Review:"Like most media commentators, Alterman probably overestimates the influence of media commentators, but the meticulous care with which his arguments are sourced and footnoted is in commendable contrast to the efforts of some of his more fire-breathing conservative opponents." The New Yorker Book News Annotation:Right-wing politicians and commentators have been complaining about
the "liberal media" so loudly that many have taken the construction
to be a truism. Journalist Alterman argues that most of them don't
even truly believe their own assertion and asserts that in fact the
media really displays a conservative bias. He describes the
"punditocracy" as unabashedly right wing (think Bill O'Reilly) and
examines the very different media treatments given to Al Gore versus
George W. Bush. He also details examples of social and economic bias
that turn up so often in the media.
Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Synopsis:Armed with data that debunk many of the more inflammatory accusations made against the media, What Liberal Media? is a must-read for all those outraged, confused, or just plain disgusted at the current critical stalemate about who the media serves and why it exists. Synopsis:This scathing and witty investigation reveals who really controls the medial. One of the most influential journalists of his time exposes the fallacy of the vast left-wing conspiracy that never was, and debunks many of the more inflammatory accusations made against the media. Synopsis:Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-309) and index.
About the AuthorEric Alterman currently writes the "Stop the Presses" media column for the Nation and the "Altercation" web log for MSNBC.com. In recent years, he has been a contributing editor to, or columnist for Worth, Rolling Stone, Elle, Mother Jones, World Policy Journal, and the Sunday Express (London). His Sound and Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy (1992/2000), won the 1992 George Orwell Award and his It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen (1999), won the 1999 Stephen Crane Literary Award. He is also the author of Who Speaks for America? Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy (1998), and When Presidents Lie: Deception and Its Consequences, which is forthcoming. A senior fellow of the World Policy Institute at New School University, and an affiliated faculty member in the magazine journalism program at New York University, Alterman received his B.A. in History and Government from Cornell, his M.A. in International Relations from Yale, and his Ph.D. in U.S. History from Stanford. He was born in Queens, New York and lives with his family in Manhattan. Table of ContentsBias, slander, and bs — You're only as liberal as the man who owns you — The punditocracy part one: television — The print punditocracy — The punditocracy iii: radio and the internet — The punditocracy iv: experts and the world of ideas — What social bias? — What economic bias? — The Clinton Administration — The 2000 election — Florida — "W's world".
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