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Here's a matter that I would like to discuss: To what extent does the reporting of the American news media reveal a political bias? This is a common source of consternation for the common citizen. However, members of both sides seem to feel that the evening news is allied with the party opposing their own. Liberals often regard the news as a vehicle for the current (conservative) administration, frequently pointing out that most stations are privately owned by corporations that have an interest in promoting conservative politics. Such criticisms often take the form of accusing reporters of complicity in covering up secrets that the president and his political allies would prefer to keep quiet, such as the conduct of the administration in the period immediately following the September 11 attacks. A good example of a liberally oriented criticism of the media can be found at this site. Conservatives in turn allege that the media encourages popular mistrust of conservative politics, accusing news stations of yellow journalism, and complain that news programs report too heavily on the negative aspects of politically charged events, such as the Iraq war. A popular site for conservative criticism of the media can be found here.

Where does the truth of this matter lie? Does the news media have a discernible political bias? If the answer to this question is yes, and on the whole I believe that it is, the next question is why. As I see it, there are a number of reasons why general trends in the political slant of the news media might exist. There are a few categories of genuine influences, such as the preferences or emotions of the viewers of news programs, the reporters who prepare stories, and the stations which decide what to air and when. Other potential factors are less scrupulous including deliberate misreporting on behalf of given organizations and political groups. This could be due to the personal persuasions of stations and reporters, or the result of political coercion. If you feel that the reason for a given bias is purposefully coercive- and again, I suspect that this is the case- what effects does this have on the American public perception of the media itself and the world events it presents each night?