[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10719]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          A LOOK AT MEDIA BIAS

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                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 8, 2011

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker. I submit the following.

              Media Fairness Caucus--A Look at Media Bias

       Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman
       Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), CoChair
       Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), CoChair


              Media's Liberal Bias Distorts Fair Coverage

       From U.S. News & World Report:
       ``The liberal bias of the mainstream media tilts so far 
     left that any outlets not in that political lane, like the 
     Drudge Report and Fox News Channel, look far more 
     conservative than they really are, according to a UCLA 
     professor's new book out next month.
       ``In a crushing body blow to the pushers of the so-called 
     `Fox Effect,' which claims the conservative media is dragging 
     the left into the center, UCLA political science professor 
     Tim Groseclose in Left Turn claims that `all' mainstream news 
     outlets have a liberal bias in their reporting that makes 
     even moderate organizations appear out of the mainstream and 
     decidedly right-wing to news consumers who are influenced by 
     the slant.''
       In the book, Groseclose writes: ``Fox News is clearly more 
     conservative than ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and National Public 
     Radio. Some will conclude that `therefore, this means that 
     Fox News has a conservative bias.' Instead, maybe it is 
     centrist, and possibly even left-leaning, while all the 
     others are far left. It's like concluding that six-three is 
     short just because it is short compared to professional 
     basketball players.''


                 Americans See Media as Biased, Liberal

       Two-thirds of Americans believe that reporters try to help 
     the candidate they want to win an election, according to a 
     recent Rasmussen public opinion poll. Only 2 in 10 think 
     reporters try to offer unbiased coverage.
       The survey also found that almost half of Americans think 
     reporters would hide any damaging information about the 
     candidate they wanted to win. And by more than two-to-one, 
     Americans say the average reporter is more liberal than they 
     are, rather than more conservative.
       If the national media want to earn Americans' trust, they 
     should give them the facts, not tell them what to think.


        First Lady Thanks Media for ``Support'' and ``Kindness''

       During a recent interview on CNN, First Lady Michelle Obama 
     thanked the national media for their ``support'' and 
     ``kindness.'' Below is an excerpt from the interview:
       CNN reporter: ``How's the family ready for this [the 
     election]? It's going to be quite vicious, isn't it? How do 
     you prepare for that?''
       First Lady Michelle Obama: ``You know, it's . . . we're 
     ready, you know. Our children, you know, could care less 
     about what we're doing. We work hard to do that. Fortunately, 
     we have help from the media. I have to say this: I'm very 
     grateful for the support and kindness that we've gotten. 
     People have respected their privacy and in that way, I think, 
     you know, no matter what people may feel about my husband's 
     policies or what have you, they care about children and 
     that's been good to see.''

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