The enormous majority, I would guess, does not consider media bias at all. Of those who do ponder the possibility that the media entertain a bias, I would assume that "liberal bias" is a more common belief than "conservative bias."

I believe the right-wing zealots see the media as liberal, or, if not see it as liberal, represent it as such for their own purposes, while liberals know that corporate media is by and large overstacked with conservatives.

It is hard to speak for the population as a whole. I have three groups of acquaintances that I, from time to time, informally pool on the question. Among my US born business acquaintances most (~75) think the media is liberal. One of those thinks that is good. The others think it is bad. ~25% think it is balances.

Among my academic acquaintances, a few think it the media is has a conservative bias, about 50% think it is neutral (some would say meaningless) and the others want to know exactly what news item I am talking about and which outlet.

I also have a group of immigrate, largely Asian, business acquaintances. They do not understand the question but many think the news is likely wrong whatever it is saying.

Yes.....the majority of the population in this country does.

and that is because we, the masses, have been fed a steady diet of codewords or buzzwords such as liberal media, liberal "elitists" media by many well funded (rightwing) groups, organizations, pundits (Coulter, Hannity, Novak, Limbaugh, Savage), and media (such as Faux News) that it is for several years.

The rightwing has successfully learned the art of spin and propaganda, repeat it often and loudly enough and somehow it becomes Conventional Wisdom...even if it is known to be blatantly false.

Now do I personally believe it is liberally biased...Hell no!

emals got it exactly right the so called liberal media has been the one telling us of a liberal media bias. Good journalists are self-critical. The right has been able to spin this so that those exact journalists claim liberal media bias. It is a very shrewd and very destructive means of the "right".

As for the public they'll lap up what they hear (note: the aforementioned phenomenon is prevalent throughout media, not just FauxNews), so yes, most believe in a liberal bias.

Folks, most people in this country don't think about the news media at all. Scary, but true.

So the notion that "most" people think the news media are biased is crazy; most people don't think about "the media," in the sense of those who purvey daily facts, one little bit. "The media," to most people, are "Fear Factor" and "Survivor," and maybe "Extra" or "Entertainment Tonight."

Yes, there is a Rush Limbaugh contingent--a very LOUD contingent--that talks about "the liberal media. And yes, unfortunately, there isn't any countervailing awareness that the Rushian perception is horseshit. But I really think that your average 'Murican doesn't even think about "the media."

I hear the liberal bias from every Republican I know. I think it has something to do with fear, something like that. That they can say "well, this isn't true because they're just spinning it."

I would say that there is a bit of a bias in every reporter. I hear a lot of mentioning CNN and Dan Rathers in that list of liberals, I hear Fox considered Conservative. As for Radio, I hear that NPR is liberal trash.

I think everyone is biased, just a bit. That sometimes they may have an agenda. That's why I like to try and look at different sources.

I think most people will say that the media is liberally biased. Not because they actually think it, but because it has been repeated over and over again.

Memes away.

Matt you make some excellent points, but my gut says that most Americans will answer it is liberally biased, not necessarily because they may believe it, but because the rightwing has been obsessed with reporting on it so much they heard the headline on the nightly news..."Is there a Liberal Bias in the Media?"...and the word association game (hello Swift Boat for Liars- Did Kerry Lie about his Swift Boat experience and purple Hearts?) Liberal+Media in one sentence and they answer yes....just because they heard or read a headline that might have suggested it even if the main story said no.

I will grant you may be correct in that perhaps a greater percentage doesn't think there is a any bias in the media-it's neutral. But, I think a larger percentage of people definitely think there is a liberal bias as opposed to a conservative bias...especially if they had to make a choice between the 2 as to what they believe...such as overall the media generally leans liberal or leans conservative.

Thanks for the comments. As you will see in my next post, each one of you got a piece of the answer. :-)

Thank you Jillian.

Matt, I would disagree. Yes, most people don't think about bias in the media. But if asked, most would arbitrarily say liberal, because it has been pounded into their head. They may not know what they are talking about, or be able to explain their position any further then "the media is liberal", but the bias still comes through.

I think the real question is:

How do people perceive reality?

The whole "liberal media bias myth" is a defense mechanism that preemptively counteracts and discredits reporting that is not congruent with the "manufactured reality". Corporate media propoganda, sensorship and deception connect with fears and bias to create the reality that helps many citizens feel comfortable as the middle class and the republic are demolished.

Bias refers to leaning or inclinations. Calling the media bias is like calling a hurrican a slight breeze. The corporate media is a reality manufacturing propaganda machine that creates a reality the supports the interest of corporations and other special interest.

Those who watch FOX certainly do because, as we know, they believe whatever they're told. What's interesting to note is that since the eleciton non-partisan show hosts like Paula Zhan and Chris Matthews have since referred to the media as matter-of-factly "elitist" and liberal.

The theory I guess is to dispel the appearance of bias by distinguishing themselves as journalists who'll willingly "aknowledge" its existence, albeit elsewhere. And that bit of self-reflexiveness works in turn to help their networks loosen FOX's stranglehold on conservative viewers. It's survivalism at best and cowardly at worst and explains why there are no liberal show hosts anywhere on the dial.

And so the most interesting act to watch in the whole Shiavo circus is the media itself.

Some like Hannity, Scarborough and Buchanan (both Pat and Bay) seem to be tone deaf on this one and are ratcheting up the rhetoric despite their minority points of view.

The more savvy, however, realize that demonizing their audience could in the long run be detrimental. Watch as their backbones begin to regenerate. Hardball's Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, and David Gregory have been notable so far in their pointing out the hypocricy of the president and fellow republicans and in quashing the hyperbole and hysterics coming from the right.

Why the recent about-face? Maybe because the same polls that show the american public overwhelmingly against government intervetion in the Shiavo case are also telling them that their nightly kowtowing to that same mythical moral majority can finally now end.

I agree with Jillian. Most people, way more than half, when asked "Do you believe the media is liberal?" will answer "yes" without thinking.

But if you ask them what they mean by liberal, and what they mean by media, very few will provide a coherent answer. And the answers you will get from a variety of people will not reflect the same perceptions.

For the last few years, "liberal" means anyone who disagrees with George W. Bush, notably on the invasion of Iraq.

For most Americans "liberal" does not refer to any existing or proposed set of policy choices. The change in "liberal" from a political label to an epithet began in earnest in the Reagan years. Translated into the language of guts of American politics, it mostly meant "N lover," but also referred to supporters of abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, gun control and anything associated with the ACLU.

I would really like to see some in-depth polling of persons who say they believe the media is biased toward liberals. I would like to know what media outlets they are referring to, whether it is only the news and news-like shows, or all programs, and what exactly they mean when they say liberal.

I would also like to know what people mean by "bias" in this context. For many people, the airing of anything to which they object is evidence of "bias."

The corporate media is a reality manufacturing propaganda machine that creates a reality the supports the interest of corporations and other special interest. Posted by smooth

Well, don't forget this Administration said they would "create our reality."

If I were a Republican, I would believe that the media had a liberal bias. However, being a liberal, I could only wish it were true. I agree with the poster that a portion of our society needs to believe in the liberal bias. I have been dismissed more than once with someone using that as the tactic.

It is clear that Mega Corporations tightly aligned with the Right own most, if not all, the major Media outlets, cable,broadcast and print. Therefore it should also be clear that these Corporate Media would tilt/lean/pander towards what is good for them. They then hide their bias by claiming those who do not agree with them are actually the ones who are "biased". Pretty standard technique,commonly used by Karl Rove to hide his actions,i.e., do something outrageous while simultaneously blaming the opposition for doing something else more outrageous (even if they are not). I think this debate, even the question presented in this post, is ridiculous on it's face. Just look at us....if there was a significant, real, Liberal Bias, and the message presented by that Liberal Bias was as successful in controlling public opinion as the current Media is, Bush would have been overwhelmingly defeated for the second term. Actually, if there was a dominent Liberal Media, Gore would have won in 2000. The question we need to be asking is not "is there a liberal bias" but rather, can we/how do we remove the Rightwing Bias that dominates our politics and our country's information outlets.

Yes, most people to the extent that they think about media bias at all, believe that the media has a liberal bias.

Simple points hammered home repeatedly work. Propaganda and PR work that's why they're used.

It's a tough question on how to counter that incredibly well-funded assult.

I'd have to say that the only people who really think the media is biased are those on the far right. To them, mainstream, middle of the road is liberal. I think the vast majority of the people in this country simply believe what they are told and don't take the time to think or do a little bit of investigation for themselves. Not because they are stupid or apathetic or anything else, but because they want to believe that their representives in the gov't wouldn't lie to them.

T2, the question was posed not because there is any doubt (in our minds) that the media is NOT liberal. It was posed to ask about what the broader public thinks about media bias.

You can't solve a problem unless you understand its full scope. It's not enough for progressives to be convinced there is no liberal bias. We need to ask how the rest of the country perceives bias, why and how to fix that.

When the question of liberal bias in the media comes up, I always ask what "media" it is being questioned. In discussions on this subject with people I consider as NeoCons, when I can actually pin them down, the definition for "media" is usually the big three networks- ABC, NBC and the evil CBS.

Using that criteria, I'd have to say the vast majority of citizens either find no liberal bias, are content with whatever bias exists, or don't care one way or the other. In number of nightly viewers, the strongest of the cable news channels, Fox, is but a shadow of CBS. And in fact, total viewership of CBS news is more than all the cable news programs combined.

And considering these statistics and the last two elections, if there were a liberal bias, as T2 points out, it must not be very effective.

Here in a Red State, most people I know consider anything less right wing than Fox to be extreme left wing! And these are people with college degrees and successful careers! The state's biggest newspaper has never endorsed a Democrat for President, but is denounced as left wing.

From my little corner down here in North County San Diego I'd say most of the people I know here do consider the media liberal - except Fox ofcourse. They being conservative for the most part tend to think this way. Me OTOH, thinks the media comes off as conservative - especially Fox. Being on the left side of liberal on most things makes me think the other way. I guess you could say it all depends on what color of glaases one wears.

I think where the problem lies is how one defines the "media". I would suspect that a majority of reporters are liberal (at least the surveys we get to see usually show that). However, as I see it, reporters (and I am not one)of news are supposed to be objective, basically provide the who, what, where, when, why meme. For instance, I would agree that I THINK Dan Rather is liberal, But, I don't know for sure because I have never seen him give an opinion on anything other than his profession and the horse race aspect of political races. I have absoulutely no idea of what he thinks about abortion, the 3 G's, taxes or the WTO for that matter. I do have a pretty good idea of what the pundits are however, and they ain't liberal. That is because they do give their opinions on every topic and you get a pretty good idea of where they stand.

Since our media has been consolidated and is pretty much owned by a few very large corporations the opinions expressed on their tv networks won't meander too far from the corporate line. Otherwise, if they did the offending individuals won't be around for long - ask Phil Donohue.

I have the curiosity to look at issues a little more thoroughly and from different angles than most of my friends (Thank God for the internet and blogs). So given the current environment I can see how a large number of people (probably the majority) and a lot of my friends do see the media as liberal.
If you only get your information from the TV how could it be any other way?

The question asks my belief about the beliefs of the majority of americans.

I believe the majority of americans believe that the "main stream media" is liberally biased.

I do not personally believe that this liberal bias exists, at least not to the extent that it is claimed. I also do not believe that most people could defend their belief in any valid way.

I believe that repeating the claim of a liberal media over many decades has succeeded in giving the majority of americans a vague notion that it must be true.

Do you believe that the public in this country thinks that the media is biased liberal?

Yes, because it is.

I'm sure so many people wrote the FCC to limit media consolidation because they think there's a liberal bias. (haha - the "liberal media" joke backfired for the conservatives)

No one would think Al Gore said he invented the internet if there was a liberal bias.

Late to the party, but when conservative "friends" of mine denounce the San Diego Union Tribune as liberal, you know there's a problem.

And in some ways, they are correct.

It depends on your definition of"liberal" for starters. News media are inherently liberal in the sense that they ask questions and seek other viewpoints and expose a larger view of the world then one could get from one's back patio and commute to work. And that is liberal interpretation!

That's why the Freeway Blogger is so cool, because he exposes so many closed in people to "liberal" media.

If you lived through the Clinton years You KNOW that there is no LM bias.

Almost every non-liberal I talk to will say "yes, the media has liberal bias". When I spend a few minutes discussing particulars (and asking them for examples of this alledged bias) I can usually get them to say "well mostly they are whores grubbing for ratings/readers" but if we discuss it again later they usually are back to "liberal media"

It is so sad, as long as the cons can keep this single fiction alive they can dictate the terms of the debate.

In my personal experience, most individuals I've spoken with are of the opinion the corporate media (for the most part, they are referring to TV news) seems to have more of a right-wing slant.

I think the more interesting frame of the question shouldn't be is the media liberally biased but should be... Is the media conservatively biased?....How often do you ever hear or see those kinds of headlines?????Media+Conservative bias in the same sentence?

Mark is well named for he has hit it. The media bias is corporate. Grubbing for ratings has led to infotainment being sold as news. The FCC does not require any type of public service in return for using the public's airwaves for free. In what other country could you have 100,000+ troops in a war zone and the leading story day in and day out has to do with an has been pop star on trial for perversion.

Matt hit the nail on the head. Prather made a great point.