Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see_liberal_media_bias_on_tv_news




Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

Friday, July 13, 2007





By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major
broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. A
Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% believe
that ABC, CBS, and NBC deliver the news without any bias.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see_liberal_
media_bias_on_tv_news




Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

Friday, July 13, 2007





By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major
broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. A
Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% believe that
ABC, CBS, and NBC deliver the news without any bias.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see_liberal_media_bias_on_tv_news




Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see...

Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

Friday, July 13, 2007

By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major
broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see_liberal_media_bias_on_tv_news




Americans See Liberal Media Bias on TV News

Friday, July 13, 2007





By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major
broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. A
Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% believe that
ABC, CBS, and NBC deliver the news without any bias.

Similar results are found for CNN and National Public Radio (NPR). By a
margin of 33% to 16%, Americans say that CNN has a liberal bias. The nation's
adults say the same about NPR by a 27% to 14% margin.

There is one major exception to the belief that media outlets have a liberal
bias-Fox News. Thirty-one percent (31%) of Americans say it has a bias that
favors conservatives while 15% say it has a liberal bias.

When it comes to delivering news without bias, 37% believe NPR accomplishes
that goal. Thirty-six percent (36%) say the same for Fox and 32% believe it's
true of CNN. As noted earlier, just 25% believe the major broadcast networks
deliver news in an unbiased manner. Results for other media outlets will be
released over the next week.

Media fairness has emerged as a debate on Capitol Hill following the recent
debate on immigration when public opinion overwhelmed the will of the
Senate. Some lawmakers have called for a re-introduction of the "Fairness
Doctrine" requiring stations to air competing points of view. Rasmussen
Reports will release data on public attitudes towards that concept over the
weekend.

Not surprisingly, there are huge partisan and ideological differences in the
data. For example, among self-identified liberals, all of the media outlets
are believed to have some net bias in favor of conservatives. However, 50%
of liberals say that NPR is unbiased. Forty-three percent (43%) say the same
about CNN. As for the major television networks, 49% of liberals believe
they have a conservative bias. Just 10% of liberals see a liberal bias at
ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Conservatives throughout the nation see things entirely differently.
Sixty-two percent (62%) see a liberal bias at the major broadcast networks
and 55% say the same about CNN. Forty-five percent (45%) of conservatives
see Fox as unbiased and the rest are evenly divided. Eighteen percent (18%)
of conservatives see Fox News as having a liberal bias while 21% say the
opposite.

Younger adults are less likely than their elders to see a liberal bias
across all of the media outlets.

On a partisan basis, Democrats see the major television networks and Fox as
biased in favor of conservatives. Solid pluralities of Democrats believe CNN
and NPR deliver news without bias. Those Democrats who see bias at CNN and
NPR are fairly evenly divided, but are a bit more likely to detect
conservative bias.

Republicans see a strong liberal bias on all the outlets except Fox.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of the GOP faithful see Fox as fair and balanced.

Those not affiliated with either major party tend to see a liberal bias
everywhere except Fox. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of unaffiliateds see a
liberal bias at the major television networks while only 19% see a
conservative bias.

During Election 2004, 38% of voters thought CBS News anchorman Dan Rather
was actively trying to help John Kerry win the election. Other data showed
that voters tended to select news sources based upon their political
preferences.

Rasmussen Reports is pleased that our online audience includes roughly equal
numbers of Republicans and Democrats.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/americans_see_liberal_media_bias_on_tv_news


There is one major exception to the belief that media outlets have a liberal
bias-Fox News. Thirty-one percent (31%) of Americans say it has a bias that
favors conservatives while 15% say it has a liberal bias.