Cynical Nation

No, I'm serious. Via Glenn we learn about a UCLA study which purports to be the first such serious study designed to quantify political bias in the media. The results will be shocking to many, but utterly unsurprising to others.

While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper's news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left.

Well hell, I've noticed the discrepancy between WSJ's OpEd page and the rest of the paper myself, and I've been making the exact same case about Drudge to anyone who would listen (no one) for years now.

It goes on.

Of the 20 major media outlets studied, 18 scored left of center, with CBS' "Evening News," The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times ranking second, third and fourth most liberal behind the news pages of The Wall Street Journal.

Only Fox News' "Special Report With Brit Hume" and The Washington Times scored right of the average U.S. voter.

For my part, I've always believed the MSM, overall, skews a bit left of center. I don't think this effect is as pronounced as it once was with the advent of Fox News and other alternative media sources, and the effect they have had on the more traditional outlets, such as the network news and NPR.

Still, I've often thought that many conservatives had a tendency to overstate this bias on a regular basis, and I frequently dismissed them as simply being overly paranoid.

Perhaps I should re-examine that assessment now. Perhaps it's me who's guilty of not being paranoid enough.