When Linda Ellerbee's show on Nickleodeon is cancelled because of an episode involving a same-sex marriage, that's definitly a sign that the media is biased. When reading Eric Alterman's "What Liberal Media?" I was relieved to know that someone else saw the media without rose colored glasses. Between racism, lack of information, and the competition of ratings, it makes me question why we are so dedicated to such a deviant thing. .
Let's begin with what appears to be every Republican's favorite topic: "The Clinton-Gates." I am beginning to get bored with hearing how the Clinton Administration worked in a circus-like atmosphere, with poor moral judgment and how Monica's limelight was dirty, yet millions viewed in to hear all the details. The Clinton family could not catch a break through their entire term as "the level of hostility directed against Clinton by punditocracy big-feet was truly a wonder." (Alterman 141) Most of the Washington gossip on the Clinton's were "inspired by personal anger at the President," (141) showing how mature the Ann Coulter's of the world really are. .
Another strong topic Alterman discusses is the racial biased in the news media. From coverage to employees, it is safe to say that a majority of the media, is white media. Take the New York Post for example, Ruth Shalit wrote a report on the Washington Post's handling of integration in the workforce, stating that "there were no black assignment editors, no black foreign correspondents, no black reporters on the National staff." (111) And while the Post was lacking racial diversity in the office, William McGowen of the Manhattan Institute wrote "Coloring the News", where "his eagerness to accuse the media of attacking racism where it does not exist." (112) The book, which used sources from men and women who were also strictly conservatives, made outrageous accusations against the New York Times coverage of a December murder in 1995.
