Concerning the invisible (except for those who are so far out of touch with reality that they think Fox is middle of the road) liberal bias at CNN
August 15, 2001
Early this month, new CNN chairman Walter Isaacson met with top Republican
lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to improve relations between
the cable news network and conservative Republicans.
According to a report in Roll Call magazine (8/6/01), Isaacson met with
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), House Speaker Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.), Rep. J.C. Watts (R- Okla.), Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen.
Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). Isaacson also intends to meet with House Whip Tom
DeLay (R.-Texas), who has ridiculed CNN as the "Clinton News Network" and
the "Communist News Network," and has suggested a conservative boycott of
the channel. Isaacson also sought meetings with White House officials.
While Isaacson claims he "definitely did not say, 'How do we attract the
conservative viewer?,'" his account suggests that concerns about CNN's
alleged bias against conservatives were preeminent: "I was trying to reach
out to a lot of Republicans who feel that CNN has not been as open to
covering Republicans, and I wanted to hear their concerns" (Roll Call,
8/6/01). One GOP aide told Roll Call that Isaacson "said, 'Give us some
guidance on how to attract conservatives.' He said he 'wanted to change the
culture' at CNN" (Roll Call, 8/6/01).
CNN's outreach effort is likely due to the ratings success of Fox News
Channel. While still in fewer homes than CNN, Fox draws nearly the same
number of viewers on average, and Fox shows like The O'Reilly Factor
regularly beat their CNN competition in the ratings. It should be
remembered, however, that CNN and Fox combined reach a tiny percentage of
U.S. TV viewers.
But Fox News Channel's clear appeal to a conservative audience has
apparently convinced some at CNN-- including the new chief-- that CNN must
not be accommodating enough to conservatives. In fact, CNN may even be
thinking about producing a Rush Limbaugh television program (USA Today,
8/13/01), another sign that the network's plan seems to involve amplifying
conservative voices on the channel.
Of course, there has never been any shortage of conservative hosts and
commentators on CNN, including people like Bob Novak, Kate O'Beirne, Tucker
Carlson, Mary Matalin, John Sununu and Lynne Cheney-- not to mention Pat
Buchanan, who launched three presidential campaigns from his perch at CNN.
Charges about liberal media bias are nothing new: Republicans have long
complained about the supposed left-wing bias of the mainstream media, and
CNN has been one of the targets of this criticism over the years. At times,
Republican strategists have explained the tactical wisdom of accusing media
of liberal bias. As Republican Party chair Rich Bond said, "There is some
strategy to it. I'm a coach of kids' basketball and Little League teams. If
you watch any great coach, what they try to do is 'work the refs.' Maybe the
ref will cut you a little slack on the next one." (Washington Post, 8/20/92)
Actually proving the charge, though, is much more difficult than making it.
FAIR's recent study of Fox News Channel, for example, included an
comparative analysis of CNN's "Wolf Blitzer Reports." On that program's
one-on-one interview segment, FAIR found a slight tilt towards Republican
guests-- about a 4-3 ratio
