For us limited government advocates, there’s nothing surprising in the story’s revelations below. But it’s nice to have the facts actually quantified, with the blatant liberal MSM bias documented.
Yes, the source is biased to the right, but I doubt anyone who has been following media coverage even superficially would disagree with the conclusions of this analysis.
For the short version, just scroll down to the graphic (pun intended) comparison:
http://www.mrc.org/realitycheck/realitycheck/2011/20111013100045.aspx
The Occupy Wall Street protestors have received overwhelmingly positive coverage from the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) news networks, as they used their airtime to publicize and promote the aggressively leftist movement. In just the first eleven days of October, ABC, CBS and NBC flooded their morning and evening newscasts with a whopping 33 full stories or interview segments on the protesters. This was a far cry from the greeting the Tea Party received from the Big Three as that conservative protest movement was initially ignored (only 13 total stories in all of 2009) and then reviled.
Where the Tea Party was met with skeptical claims of their motivations — with some reporters claiming they were merely corporate backed puppets and others implying they were spurred on by their racist opposition to the first black president – the Occupy Wall Street crowd was depicted as an almost genial “grassroots” movement.
While network reporters weren’t hesitant to describe the Tea Party as conservative, only once did a reporter attach even the “liberal” label to the overtly leftist Wall Street protestors.
Network anchors like Brian Williams couldn’t be bothered with ideological labeling of the occupiers as he was, on the October 5 NBC Nightly News, too busy celebrating the arrival of the “massive protest movement” that “could well turn out to be the protest of this current era.”
ABC’s Diane Sawyer was so excited she tripped herself up in hyperbole as she proclaimed, on the October 10 World News, that the movement had “spread to more than 250 American cities, more than a thousand countries – every continent but Antarctica.” (Video) Sawyer would have to correct herself on a later edition of the program as she clarified it was “more than a thousand cities around the world – every continent but Antarctica.” That’s still a tremendous exaggeration.
Most astoundingly, the networks’ Occupy Wall Street (OWS) stories were overwhelmingly sympathetic: Protesters and supporters of the movement dominated the soundbites, with 109 (87%) to just 8 critics (6%), with another 8 soundbites from neutral sources. Five of the eight soundbites unsympathetic to the protesters were brief clips of GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain blasting the occupiers. In addition to the 109 pro-OWS soundbites, seven times guests on the Big Three network morning shows expressed sympathy for the protestors. No guests opposed the protests.
MRC analysts tracked all the stories on the Big Three broadcast networks’ evening and morning news programs (ABC’s World News and Good Morning America, CBS’s Evening News and The Early Show, NBC’s Nightly News andToday show) and found that from October 1 through October 11 network anchors, and reporters, in addition to the 33 full stories, delivered 15 brief items and 14 mentions in other stories not devoted strictly to the Wall Street protest.
Very Few Liberal Labels for Lefty Protestors
In 2009 Tea Partiers were repeatedly but accurately described as conservative. Back on the April 15, 2009 Today show, NBC’s Chuck Todd’s labeling was typical when he introduced the Tea Party movement to viewers this way: “There’s been some grassroots conservatives who have organized so-called Tea Parties around the country, hoping the historical reference will help galvanize Americans against the President’s economic ideas. But, I tell you, the idea hasn’t really caught on.”
However, when it came to appropriately labeling the OWS crowd as leftist or liberals, it happened exactly one time, when on the October 11 edition of ABC’s Good Morning America, co-anchor George Stephanopoulous asked Obama campaign strategist David Plouffe if he thought the OWS protestors were the “liberal version of the Tea Party?” and wondered if that was a “good thing for the White House?”
The only other usages of the world “liberal” came when Columbia University’s Dorian Warren, on the October 1 NBC Nightly News asserted that the protesters were “a liberal version of the Tea Party” and obligingly offered: “I think this could potentially carry over into the 2012 elections and get people to the polls.” Then, on the October 9 edition of Sunday Morning, Rebecca Jarvis pegged Columbia University professor Todd Gitlin as “a liberal observer of the politics of the protest.”
In fact, as the MRC’s Business & Media’s Julia Seymour documented, not one network report has called the protesters “radical,” “extreme,” “left-wing,” or “socialist.”
‘Grassroots’ Wall Street Protestors vs. ‘Corporate’ Tea Partiers
Digging deeper into the stories, a clear double standard emerges. Where the Tea Party’s motives were met with skepticism, with some stories questioning if they were not a grassroots movement but rather an Astro-turf movement backed by corporations, the Occupy Wall Street crowd was repeatedly classified as “grassroots.”
Back on the April 15, 2009 edition of ABC’s World News, reporter Dan Harris told viewers that “critics on the Left say” the Tea Party was not “a real grassroots phenomenon at all, that it’s actually largely orchestrated by people fronting for corporate interests.”
But when labor unions started joining the OWS protests, reporters didn’t greet that information with jaundiced skepticism of a movement being taken over by well-funded, well-heeled union organizers, but treated it as recognition of the growing respect and influence they were gaining.
On the October 5 Today show, Mara Schiavocampo alerted viewers that on “Tuesday, several labor unions, including transit workers and teachers, joined activists for a march to Wall Street. Today they plan to join protesters in what could be their largest event yet, a rally and march in lower Manhattan.” In the very next sentence the NBC correspondent was careful to remind her viewers: “The grassroots movement has no official leaders.”
Racist Tea Partiers vs. Cookie Baking Grandmas
While the Tea Partiers were portrayed as racist and rude yokels, the OWS crowd has been portrayed in a decidedly more positive light with reporters highlighting cute school kids, spending their Columbus Day holiday holding up signs in opposition to corporate America and even featured a kindly grandmother baking cookies for the crowd.
On the October 10, NBC Nightly News, Mara Schiavocampo highlighted: “From school to the streets. On Day 24 of the Occupy Wall Street protest demonstrators were joined by a group of students on their day off.” Viewers were then presented clips of little children holding signs that read: “Tax the one percent, not the 99 percent!” and “Tax the greedy, feed the needy!”
Despite hundreds of arrests, the media have painted the Occupy Wall Street crowd as friendly, genial, even industrious folk who started their own newspapers, and taught Yoga classes to pass the time.
Over images of protestors stretching, on the October 10 Evening News, an impressed Jim Axelrod glowingly noticed: “The Occupy Wall Street protestors have set up a camp with a food court, newspaper, medical unit, Internet café, even yoga practice.”
On the October 3 edition of ABC’s World News, Dan Harris played tour guide to the protest scene: “This is a surprisingly functional little city. Let me give you a little tour. It starts here with the information desk for people newly arrived. Behind that this whole area back here, this is the media area. It’s filled with bloggers and other people getting the word out and powered by donated generators. And this is the food station. It’s all free and all donated including some cookies that came in today from a grandmother in Idaho.”
In subsequent days, the effusive notices came streaming in from the network anchors.
On the October 5 Nightly News, NBC’s Brian Williams trumpeted: “While it goes by the official name ‘Occupy Wall Street,’ it has spread steadily and far beyond Wall Street, and it could well turn out to be the protest of this current era.” ABC’s weekend evening news anchor David Muir, on the October 9 World News, hailed: “Look at the images coming in tonight, spelling out the anger. This sign in New York, ‘The rich get bailed out, the poor get sold out.’”
In contrast, the network anchors treated the Tea Party much more harshly, depicting its members as violent, racial slur hurling thugs. As the MRC’s Rich Noyes pointed out in the special report, TV’s Tea Party Travesty, in September of 2009, “NBC’s Brian Williams trumpeted Jimmy Carter’s charge that the Tea Party was motivated by race: ‘Signs and images at last weekend’s big Tea Party march in Washington and at other recent events have featured racial and other violent themes, and President Carter today said he is extremely worried by it.’”
In March of 2010, Noyes found that on “the night of the final vote on ObamaCare in March, for example, ABC’s Diane Sawyer cast Tea Partiers as out-of-control marauders, ‘roaming Washington, some of them increasingly emotional, yelling slurs and epithets.’ CBS’s Bob Schieffer also cast a wide net, accusing ‘demonstrators’ of hurling ‘racial epithets’ and ‘sexual slurs,’ and even conjured images of civil-rights era brutality: ‘One lawmaker said it was like a page out of a time machine.’”
Schieffer’s colleague Jeff Greenfield, on the September 20, 2009 edition of CBS’s Sunday Morning, went as far to wonder about the Tea Party: “Does this new militancy on the Right pose an opportunity for the Republican Party or create a dilemma?” He added: “Some of it is aimed specifically and virulently at Obama….At his background, at his race, at his agenda.”
In the media’s coverage of the Wall Street occupiers and Tea Partiers, a clear tale of two different protests is seen. One that grew out of concern for out-of-control government spending was initially ignored and treated to catcalls of racism and thuggery by ABC, CBS and NBC. The other, a leftist movement screaming for an even more expansive government, that actually resulted in hundreds of arrests, was greeted by the Big Three networks with a tidal wave of coverage full of friendly talking heads.
— Geoffrey Dickens is the Deputy Research Director at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Geoffrey Dickens on Twitter.
Comments 14
It’s copyright infringement to post an entire article off another website.
Author
Technically correct, Democrab, but my approach has been to do it until a website complains. I’ve been doing it quite publicly for I’d guess over 10 years, and have yet to receive a complaint. This is particularly true for advocacy websites such as MRC — doubtless they are DELIGHTED to have their material replicated with attribution.
But I DO try not to copy full articles from national newspapers such as the WS JOURNAL, putting part of the article up with the link for the diligent reader who wants to see the full story (which may not work without subscription, depending on the article).
Democrab, try this. Report my transgression to MRC and ask them to take legal action against both SDROSTRA and myself. I think the Internet response you’ll get is “LOL.”
Of course, Democrab, I find it particularly ironic that an anonymous Democrat activist such as yourself is suddenly concerned with property rights. After all, you are spending your entire adult life trying to steal the property of others.
Perhaps the fact that the survey above “outs” your fellow travelers in the national media is what REALLY ticked you off. Ya think?
SD Rostra promotes the Media Research Center’s website here ALL THE TIME with my “Alternate Weekend News Links” postings.
MRC is also a Movement Conservative group… getting the word out on liberal Media bias is their very Reason for Existence.
Natch, the Rider critic does not know this Back Story.
Ok, just wanted to make sure you were aware. I don’t know how Rostra feels about it. I know that some bloggers here, while they don’t lack a desire to post, aren’t always up to speed on longstanding etiquette.
To your credit, at least you acknowledge that although you’re aware of the copyright issue, you just don’t care. I’ll be sure to point this out next time you claim to be a law-abiding citizen who’s unfairly persecuted by obtrusive government.
Gotta run, Richard. Thanks for the tirade, though. I’m off to go tangentially spend my entire adult life trying to steal the property of others, being an anonymous Democrat activist and all.
Hope you enjoy your Sunday, no doubt devising new ways to evade taxes.
Author
Sadly, democrab fails to differentiate between possible civil disputes and criminal activities. Since no one is harmed OR OBJECTS when one does a “copy and paste” of an advocacy website posting, it’s clear that there is no crime or harm involved — especially when full attribution/URL credit to the originator is included. Rare is the advocacy website that would not ENCOURAGE such dissemination.
As to “evading” taxes, that is illegal. I try to AVOID taxes, and to minimize those that are owed. Most sane people do so. And — get this — it’s LEGAL to do so!
Of course, this approach is in stark contrast to Democrab (indeed, doubtless all Democrats) who always OVERPAYS his taxes — not taking itemized deductions (if eligible), for instance. That’s what compassionate liberals do.
SUURRREEEEE they do.
Richard,
Global 99 Percent Rally Worldwide in Solidarity With Occupy Wall Street:
Cara Buckley and Rachel Donadio, The New York Times News Service: “Buoyed by the longevity of the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Manhattan, a wave of protests swept across Asia, the Americas and Europe on Saturday, with hundreds and in some cases thousands of people expressing discontent with the economic tides in marches, rallies and occasional clashes with the police.”
Pehaps the Tea Partiers are jeered because their Representatives in Congress are not doing anything to protect them from Wall Street greed. All they (House GOP/TeaParty) have been voting on lately are social issues, not jobs.
So, infringement is OK until someone complains, Dick? Good to know your position on theft.
Why not ask first?
I can’t say I agree with all the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, but this kind of post is in violation of federal law. That’s a risk you’re free to take on your own blog, but it’s not exactly fair to lay that liability on Rostra, is it?
Gwendolyn, this may come as a surprise to you (indeed, I’m SURE it’s a surprise to you), but the media is supposed to impartially REPORT the news, not try to MAKE the news. Shocking, I know.
In your world, the liberal media is supposed to shape the news and channel (sorry) the info to the great unwashed in its “proper context.” Gosh, some of us think differently. News should report the facts, and present different viewpoints of events. As I said, shocking.
The national MSM tried to smear the Tea Party movement from day one — LONG before its effectiveness was called into question (certainly a debatable point).
I don’t want to overstate my point, but when a website goes to the trouble of putting a copyright symbol on its pages, as MRC has, that’s an unambiguous indication that their content is not free to use in its entirety.
If a website posts a Creative Commons, GNU or similar license on their website–as many do–then they have made it clear that you are free to use it under the terms provided.
Just because you do it for 10 years or no one’s caught you doesn’t make it morally right or legal.
Dave, given the thuggish nature of liberals (witness the Occupy movement), and the desire by progressives to oppress opposition using the force of law (attempts to silence talk shows with federal laws), I hereby declare that I chicken out on this matter.
Henceforth ON THIS BLOG I’ll give just the first part of an article (assuming it is copyrighted) and leave it to frustrated readers to go read the full piece on the originating website.
BTW, EVERY one of you readers of this blog violate the law. Some law on the books. Probably MANY laws. Especially if you run a business.
In this country, you simply CANNOT avoid violating the law. We are all indeed criminals. Every one of us.
Of course, this tempest in our Rostra teapot is intended to detract readers from the core fact that the media is biased and fails to do its duty of impartially informing the public. Though it’s not illegal to do so, it probably should be — especially when one PRETENDS to be impartial.
Just kidding about making it criminal. But one thing’s for sure — we damn sure don’t have to WATCH or LISTEN to such biased reporting. And that fact is driving down the news ratings of CBS, NBC and ABC.
I’m shocked, shocked at Leftists trying to Silence a dissenting voice with threats. SHOCKED, I tell you!
lol
Please lets not confuse philosophical differences with journalistic standards. Copyright standards and web protocol are the same everywhere, regardless of political leanings. What Rostra expects with others — credit, links to our content, etc — we should also expect on our own pages. If we are to be credible, we need to operate credibly. Thanks, Richard, for choosing the right path for this blog in future posts.
Richard,
Time to get a grip.
One month ago today, a thousand people took over a corporate-owned park in the heart of lower Manhattan with a clear message: we’re against the corporate takeover of the international economy, we’re for social justice and we want to develop a different vision for the world.
Many in the media laughed at them. Even more news outlets simply ignored them. But Truthout covered these new protests from the beginning, because we could actually understand their significance.
The corporatocracy has done such a thorough job of convincing editorial boards and even reporters on the street that capitalism and its crimes are yesterday’s story. That whole $16 trillion in free loans to prop up the international financial system? Forget about it. The complete lack of prosecutions for what was the largest fraud perpetrated by the most powerful people in history? Ignore it. The complete hollowing out of the US economy which led to a dangerous recession and a destruction of wealth and opportunity which is unrivaled in our lifetimes? Bury it.
Instead, the mainstream media focused on the economic musings of a pizza magnate who wants to tax the poor and cut taxes on the rich – and the coiffed CEO who says with a straight face that cutting regulations and taxes on businesses will spark job growth (despite the complete failure of this ideology under the Bush Jr. administration).
But then the landscape shifted. As the media was forced to cover an ongoing and unprecedented occupation of Wall Street, people awoke!
One month in, it’s growing every second. This movement has legs.