In search of slant

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Perception, in the eyes of the perceiver, is more than reality. In other words, what you think you see, hear, feel, taste, intuit, etc, is reality, nevermind that reality may actually be different.

Arg. Still confusing.

Lemme try this.

Ask anyone - National Public Radio is a liberal organization.

Is that true?

Sunday evening as I recovered from the Fire Ant Festival, I listened to On The Media (OTM), the National Public Radio show which looks at media in all its forms.

OTM got several other organizations which look at media bias to examine NPR news shows. OTM also got a number of listeners to keep a week-long diary of new programs and list any liberal bias they found.

The results?

Not exactly what I expected, but very very very close.

Not that expect anyone to believe me. After all, why should people start believing me now.

NPR is not liberal, except in how listeners perceive the news casts.

That's what I expected and predicted when I first wrote of the OTM self-inspection a few weeks ago.

Compared to the nation's 10 other major media outlets, NPR has LESS coverage of political fights, MORE coverage of policy, less coverage of national news, more coverage of international news.

If you base the slant on which side gets more coverage - NPR is conservative. Yep. Conservative news makers get substantially more time on NPR than liberal news makers.

A major accusation of NPR illustrating a liberal bias is coverage of homosexual issues. The results? NPR spends 1 percent of the news cast covering those, exactly the same as the other major media outlets, except talk radio. Conservative talk radio spends up to 40 percent of its time on homosexuality.

The grand results of the OTM investigation, with plenty of results from independent groups as well as critics, show if there is a liberal bias at NPR it is a perception and not a reality.

The liberal slant comes from subjective interpretation of how the reporters present the news and ask questions of subjects.

Yes, there are liberal shows on NPR but these are not the news cast shows. Accusing NPR of a liberal bias on that basis is like accusing Rush Limbaugh of being a news show anchor. He's not. He's admitted he is an entertainer, albeit an entertainer who does politics.

Pretty much what I expected. What surprised me is the amount of coverage given to policy issues. That was a bit higher than I expected.

But I don't expect this to change anyone's mind. Those who are firmly in the camp of believing NPR has a liberal bias (in the news shows), either don't listen to NPR enough to know or have made their minds up and refuse to be swayed by facts.

Idiotology continues to reign supreme among those who refuse to think for themselves.