Accuracy in Media on Today's News Media Bias

1. Media Bias: The
Never-Ending Cycle!

2. What is Media Bias?
• Media Bias is where the News Media distorts the reporting
and objectivity of news in any way or form
• Examples:
• NBC editing the 911 tapes to portray George Zimmerman as a
race-baiter
• Pushing Barack Obama’s narrative that the Benghazi consulate
attack was caused by an amateur video
• It was reported that terrorists were at fault, not the video
• No reporting on the current imprisonment of the video’s director
• Ignoring the consistently bad unemployment numbers
(around 7%) since Obama’s two terms as President

3. Accuracy in Media
Founded in 1969 by Reed Irvine, AIM is America’s
original news media watchdog to promote accuracy,
fairness and balance in news reporting.
• AIM exposes politically motivated media bias,
teaches consumers to think critically about news
sources and holds the mainstream press
accountable for its misreporting.
• It is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the
news media that sets the record straight on
important issues that have received slanted
coverage.
• Media bias began to be exposed soon after AIM’s
founding in 1969

4. National News Council
• Formed in 1973 as a non-profit watchdog
organization
• Intended to combat bias in the news media
• Run by liberal journalists like Walter
Cronkite, who refused to cooperate
• Officially dissolved in 1983
• However, it was a major failure as these
liberal journalists could never agree on how
to measure bias
• Today’s current liberal media bias culture
has flourished in part to the National News
Council’s failure

5. Newspapers
• Newspapers were the only news source, next to broadcast TV,
for Americans during the 1970s-1980s
• The Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and
Chicago Tribune were the largest newspapers
• They were and still are EXTREMELY biased against conservatives
• With the Internet, newspapers slowly became out-of-touch

6. Broadcast TV’s Demise
• Broadcast TV stations such as
ABC, CBS and NBC dominated
the news
• Anchors like Dan Rather were
well-respected in American
households
• But, their liberal media bias
was apparent when covering
events such as Vietnam,
Watergate and Iran-Contra
scandals
• With the launch of CNN and
the emergence of a 24-hour
news cycle, the broadcast TV
industry failed to adapt

7. Rise of Cable TV aka Fox News
• Fox News, started by Roger
Ailes, has surged to the no.1
news rating
• CNN and broadcast TV
were left in the dust with
lower ratings
• Liberals like Jon Stewart are
upset over Fox News’ cable TV
dominance that continues to
bury the liberal competition

8. Study Exposes Media Bias
• Survey conducted in 1980 of 238 journalists exposed
journalism’s liberal leanings
• Reporters were from ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, now-defunct
Newsweek, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street
Journal
• Found that:
• Reporters were 93% white, 50% were non-religious
• 54% described themselves as liberals, only 17% conservative
• Supported Democrat presidential candidates from 81-94%,
spanning from Lyndon B. Johnson to Jimmy Carter

9. Media on Trayvon Martin
• Huffington
Post’s headline
after the trial
(see left)
• Media quoted
Obama that “if
[he] had a son,
he’d look like
Trayvon”
• MSNBC covered
crowds as if
they were
waiting for a
riot

10. AIM combating Media Bias
• We reported that Charles
Barkley blasted the News
Media for their coverage
• “I just feel bad because I don’t
like when race gets out in the
media because I don’t think
the media has a pure heart as
I call it.”
• Obama’s only similarity with
Trayvon Martin was how both
had smoked pot at a young
age, which went unreported
by the News Media

11. Other Media Bias Examples
• 2008 Presidential Election
• 2012 Presidential Election
• Benghazi consulate attacks
that left 4 Americans dead,
including the U.S.
ambassador to Libya
• Reverse racial profiling in
the Boston Bombers’ and
the D.C. sniper case
• And there’s a lot more
where that came from…

12. The Role of Social Media in
Exposing Media Bias
 Social Media has changed the News Media and
Media Bias
 It created a 24-hour news cycle, which liberal
newspapers cannot adequately cover
 Social Media has further exposed the liberal
Media Bias in the News Media

13. Connect With Us!
Accuracy in Media
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Suite 555
Bethesda, MD 20814
(202) 364-4401
info@aim.org
www.aim.org
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@AccuracyInMedia