During the 1980’s legendary Connecticut radio newsman Walt Dibble was asked by a young college intern for his explanation of liberal media bias.
After thinking a moment, Dibble did not dispute that there is a liberal media bias, but suggested that because reporters spend their days interviewing people and experiencing situations that cut a wide path across the spectrum of life, they are more inclined to be open minded and therefore perceived as politically liberal.
We would add that it is the natural role of the journalist to side with the underdog in any situation which can also lead people in power to view reporters as biased against them, or put another way, as liberal.
While there are surveys that show most reporters identify with liberal causes, there is no liberal conspiracy in the press. A conspiracy would involve active organization. There is a bias toward finding views that are alternate to conventional wisdom.
These thoughts come to mind while reading the latest report from the Washington Post on efforts by Project Veritas to infiltrate the Post and other large news organizations in an attempt to uncover a vast journalism conspiracy. While Project Veritas and others like them will always be able to find anecdotal evidence of media bias they will never find the room where liberal media power brokers meet to conspire and set the news agenda, because it’s not like that.
In fact, in the news media culture of today many news organizations make no effort to hide their bias, they market it, so there is no secret to uncover.
Pictured: Walt Dibble in one of his trademark striped shirts working the phones in the WDRC Earwitness News room, along with Lon Landis and Chuck Crouse at the microphone. 1972.
