Friday, March 19, 2004

Embedded liberal media bias? Or, a slip of the tongue. We discuss, you decide.

What is peculiar about this short discussion of Jack and Barack?

Ellen Warren: They [Barack Obama and Jack Ryan] couldn’t be more different in terms of their beliefs—just run down the list, they are absolute flip sides—they are black and white.

CLTV interviewer: Literally?

Warren: Literally. Two attractive, smart well-spoken candidates, well educated and very agile politicians. They have very, very different beliefs. Ryan is quite, quite conservative and Obama is quite liberal and you know, a clear choice, and if it really, really comes down to some debates, really comes to the issues, you know we are going to be a very, very informed electorate.

Ellen Warren, Chicago Tribune, providing election night commentary, on CLTV, on March 16, 2004

Warren, when she wants to emphasize something, seems to use a repeat word. So, Ryan, who indeed is quite conservative, is described as quite, quite conservative. But,
Obama, who indeed is quite liberal, is described as quite liberal. Two "quites," for Jack, but only one "quite," for Barack. Hardly seems "fair and balanced."

Perhaps a slip of the tongue. Maybe Ellen Warren just “forgot,” or misspoke when it came to emphasizing just how liberal Barack Obama is. Or, perhaps, the above is reflective of the liberal culture that permeates the media. How often during the next eight months will Jack be described in the media as an "an arch conservative," relative to Barack being described as an "arch liberal." Or, how often will Jack's supporters be described as being on the "far right," relative to the frequency with which we hear about the "far left," supporters of Barack Obama. I don't know—but Public Affairs will be watching and listening. And, we will let you know what we see and hear.

By the way, from doing a quick spot check of tapes, it seems to me that CLTV, including Ellen Warren, provided some very thoughtful analysis and commentary on election night, perhaps more so than its larger, more technologically capable competitors. We will be bringing you some analysis that I think backs up this assertion. Sometimes, as Klee said and Hull showed us, less is more-- at least when it comes to artistic content and money spent.