As we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Media Research Center, we recall our list of the types of media bias that we take into account in our “news busting.”
MRC’s Brent Baker — the architect of our media-analysis infrastructure — put our list in his 1994 book titled How to Identify, Expose, and Correct Liberal Media Bias. We’ll explore examples from the past and the present on these tactics or tricks of the trade:
The most dominant tactic right now — when the Democrats are in charge of the White House and Congress — is bias by omission. For example, the networks seem to have an allergy to reporting on Hunter Biden’s corruption, exploiting his father’s position to gain millions. Perhaps next year, if Republicans take over and hold Hunter Biden hearings, they will “move on” to attacking the Republicans for having Hunter Biden hearings.
In 1992, then-CBS reporter Betsy Lloyd underlined the problem: “The largest opinion is what we leave out. I mean, it sounds simplistic, but I always say worry about what you’re not seeing. What you are seeing you can really criticize because you’re smart and you have opinions. But if we don’t tell you anything, and we leave whole areas uncovered, that’s the danger.“
This list isn’t outdated, unlike Baker’s advice in the book that “VCR tapes cost $3 to $5 each for standard-grade VHS tape. There’s no need to pay extra for the higher quality stereo or super-VHS tape. Remember, you’re taping the news, not a high-fidelity concert.”
Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to podcasts.