Should journalist clearly disclose their political affiliation?

[Captain Tuttle]

I am incensed (beyond words) at the bias in favor of Democrats on MSNBC, CNN and ABC. The line between impartial journalism and party propaganda has been erased.

Party pundits and politicians are always presented as Joe Blow (D) PA or Sally Smooth (R) PA when they are interviewed for a news segment on all news channels.

I propose that all media reporters should clearly and unambiguously disclose their party affiliation in much the same way:

- Keith Olberman (D)
- Rachel Maddow (D)
- Dan Rather (D)
- Sean Hannity (R)
- Bill O'Reilly (I)

(STOP: please don't get your panties in a wad over the above list. It is for demonstration purposes only - insert your list of journalists here. OKAY?)

So that, Joe Average in Podunk, PA clearly understands that a story that is being presented by a recognized media outlet as news is actually identified as commentary/opinion.

The Fourth Estate is broken and morally not accountable for their actions.

Traditional media norms of journalistic integrity and the pursuit of truth do NOT translate to the 21st century reality of 24-hour media and unrestricted Internet blogs.

What would it take to pass FCC regulation/legislation that requires journalist to disclose their political affiliation?

Would you be in favor of such a requirement?

[adymond]

I think that might be a good idea. At least people would know the slant being presented.

[Pector55]

Go here if you want to use the "Click for details" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113455/

Television:

(D) ABC News, Mary Fulginiti, "Primetime" correspondent. Click for details.

(D) ABC affiliate in Boston, WCVB, Sangita Chandra, producer. Click for details.

(D) ABC affiliate in Wichita, KAKE, Susan Peters, anchor. Click for details.

(D) CBS News, Serena Altschul, correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.

(D) CBS News, Edward H. Forgotson Jr., producer, "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Boston, WBZ, Liz Walker, newsmagazine host. Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, KCBS, Claudia Bill, news writer. Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Memphis, WREG, Markova Reed, anchors the morning and noon news. Click for details.

(D) CNN, Guy Raz, Jerusalem correspondent, now defense correspondent for National Public Radio. Click for details.

(R) CW affiliate in Chicago, WGN, Jay Congdon, news producer. Click for details.

(R) CW affiliate in Los Angeles, KTLA, Diana Chi, news writer. Click for details.

(R) Fox News Channel, Ann Stewart Banker, producer for Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor." Click for details.

(D) Fox News Channel, Codie Brooks, researcher for Brit Hume's "Special Report." Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Omaha, KPTM, Calvert Collins, reporter. Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Minneapolis, KMSP, Alix Kendall, morning anchor. Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C., WTTG, Laura Evans, anchor. Click for details.

(R) MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" and "Scarborough Country." Click for details.

(D) MTV News, Gideon Yago, "Choose or Lose" presidential correspondent. Click for details.

(D) NBC News, Victoria Corderi, "Dateline" correspondent. Click for details.

(R) PBS affiliate in New York, Thirteen/WNET, Rafael Roman, host, "New York Voices." Click for details.

(D) Independent station KTVK, Phoenix, Steve Bodinet, reporter. Click for details.

Online:

(D) MSNBC.com, Rachel Schwanewede, senior editor, TodayShow.com. Click for details.

(D) MSNBC.com, Joel Widzer, travel columnist. Click for details.

(D) Salon.com, Gary Kamiya, writer at large and former executive editor. Click for details.

(D) Salon.com, Katharine Mieszkowski, reporter. Click for details.

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Magazines:

(D) The Atlantic Monthly, Martha Spaulding, assistant managing editor. Click for details.

(D) Business Week, Prudence Crowther, chief copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Economist, Andreas Kluth, technology correspondent. Click for details.

(D) The Economist, Joanne Ramos, financial writer. Click for details.

(R) Forbes, Jean A. Briggs, assistant managing editor. Click for details.

(R) Forbes, Robert Lenzner, national editor. Click for details.

(D) Forbes, Tatiana Serafin, senior reporter. Click for details.

(D) Inc., Jane Berentson, editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, David Denby, film critic. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Henry Finder, editorial director and books editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Tad Friend, Hollywood reporter. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Ann Goldstein, head of copy department. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, John Lahr, theater critic. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Janet Malcolm, writer. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, George Packer, war correspondent. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Mark Singer, profile writer. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Judith Thurman, writer. Click for details.

(D) Newsweek, Temma Ehrenfeld, associate editor. Click for details.

(D & R) Newsweek, Jane Bryant Quinn, personal finance columnist. Click for details.

(D) Newsweek, Anne Underwood, correspondent on health and medical stories. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, Jason Fine, deputy managing editor. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, David Swanson, assistant editor. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, editor and publisher. Click for details.

(D) Time, Jim Frederick, senior editor. Click for details.

(D) U.S. News & World Report, Michael Freeman, researcher. Click for details.

(D) U.S. News & World Report, Amanda Spake, senior writer. Click for details.

(D) Vanity Fair, Elise O'Shaughnessy, contributing editor. Click for details.

(D) Vanity Fair, Michael Shnayerson, contributing editor. Click for details.

Newspapers:

(in order by approximate circulation)

(D) McClatchy Newspapers, Beryl Adcock, news desk chief, Washington bureau. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Krishnan Amantharaman, managing editor of the classroom edition. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Henny Sender, senior special writer. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Eben Shapiro, editor of the Weekend Journal section. Click for details.

(D) The New York Times, Randy Cohen, ethics columnist. Click for details.

(D) The New York Times, Christine Muhlke, deputy editor, style magazine. Click for details.

(D & R) The New York Times, Nancy Tilghman, freelance writer. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Nick Cuccia, design editor. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Manohla Dargis, film critic, now at The New York Times. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Dan Neil, automobile critic. Click for details.

(R) Los Angeles Times, Charles Perry, food writer. Click for details.

(D) New York Daily News, Celia McGee, reporter, and freelancer for The New York Times. Click for details.

(D) New York Daily News, Matthew Roberts, photographer. Click for details.

(R) The Washington Post, Stephen Hunter, film critic. Click for details.

(D) The Chicago Tribune, Maureen Ryan, entertainment reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein, classical music critic. Click for details.

(D) San Francisco Chronicle, William Pates, letters editor for the editorial page. Click for details.

(D) Newsday, Long Island, Rita Hall, section designer/artist/writer. Click for details.

(D) The Boston Globe, Rebecca Ostriker, arts editor/writer. Click for details.

(D) The Boston Globe, Henry Riemer, sports statistician. Click for details.

(R) The Star-Ledger, Newark, Robin Gaby Fisher, feature writer. Click for details.

(D) Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Barbara Haugen, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Detroit Free Press, Susan Hall-Balduf, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Detroit Free Press, Joel Thurtell, reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Oregonian, Portland, Steve Amick, reporter. Click for details.

(R) The Miami Herald, Harry Broertjes, copy editor/page designer. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Penni Crabtree, business reporter. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Bob Elledge, assistant news editor. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Shaffer Grubb, graphic artist. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Arline Smith, news production editor. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Charlie Smith, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Sun, Baltimore, John Scholz, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) San Jose Mercury News, Rachel Wilner, sports editor. Click for details.

(D) Boston Herald, Chris Donnelly, news librarian. Click for details.

(D) South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Ethan Skolnick, sports columnist. Click for details.

(D) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Randy Galloway, sports columnist. Click for details.

(D) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Vincent Langford, sports copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Hartford Courant, Nancy Gallinger, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Hartford Courant, Bill Lewis, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Richmond Times-Dispatch, Michael Hardy, state political reporter. Click for details.

(D) Richmond Times-Dispatch, Pam Mastropaolo, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Contra Costa Times, Calif., Robert Taylor, fine arts reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif., Mark Benoit, wire editor. Click for details.

(D) The Palm Beach Post, Fla., George McEvoy, columnist. Click for details.

(R) The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Barbara Bradley, fashion editor. Click for details.

(D) The Des Moines Register, Stephen P. Dinnen, business reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Honolulu Advertiser, Chris Neil, wire editor. Click for details.

(D) The Blade, Toledo, James Bradley, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Lexington Herald-Leader, Brian Throckmorton, copy desk chief. Click for details.

(R) The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., Beth Hudson, sports reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Daytona Beach, Fla., News-Journal, Marc Davidson, editor. Click for details.

(D) Albany, N.Y., Times Union, Greg Montgomery, graphic design editor. Click for details.

(R) The Washington Times, Gary Arnold, film critic. Click for details.

(D) San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, Calif., Eric Terrazas, sports editor. Click for details.

(R) The New York Sun, Liz Peek, financial columnist. Click for details.

(D) The Lincoln, Neb., Journal Star, Paul Fell, editorial cartoonist. Click for details.

(D) The Lincoln, Neb., Journal Star, Sylvia Hermanson, copy editor. Click for details.

(R) The Macon, Ga., Telegraph, Stephen "Keich" Whicker, local government reporter. Click for details.

(D) New Hampshire Union Leader, David Johnson, sports copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Corpus Christi, Texas, Caller-Times, Elvia Aguilar, business writer. Click for details.

(D) National Catholic Reporter, Margot Patterson, senior writer and arts/opinion editor. Click for details.

(D) York, Pa., Daily Record, Teresa Cook, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Muskegon, Mich., Chronicle, Terry Judd, reporter and chief of the Grand Haven bureau. Click for details.

(D) Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel, Fran Adler, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel, Faith Van Gilder, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Martha's Vineyard, Mass., Times, Whit Griswold, copy editor. Click for details.

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Radio:

(D) Air America and CBS Radio, Betsy Rosenberg-Zimmerman, environment talk show host and environment reporter. Click for details.

(D) National Public Radio, Corey Flintoff, newscaster. Click for details.

(D) National Public Radio, Michelle Trudeau, correspondent. Click for details.

(D) NPR affiliate in Washington, WAMU, Susan Goodman, reporter. Click for details.

(D) WWJ News Radio, Detroit, Vickie B. Thomas, reporter. Click for details.

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Wire services:

(D) Bloomberg News, Katherine Burton, reporter. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Robert Dieterich, energy editor. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Joshua Fellman, reporter in Asia. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Robert Houck, multimedia news editor. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Milanee Kapadia, reporter. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, James Polson, reporter on energy and utilities. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Carlos Torres, reporter in Washington. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, Robert Urban, real estate reporter. Click for details.

(D) Bloomberg News, John Wydra, radio newscaster. Click for details.

(D) Dow Jones Newswires, Samuel J. Favate Jr., editor. Click for details.

(D) Dow Jones Newswires, Billy Mallard, credit markets editor. Click for details.

(D) Reuters, Lisa von Ahn, news desk editor. Click for details.

(D) Reuters, Michael Erman, reporter. Click for details.


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Non-English-language news organizations:

(D) La Stampa, newspaper in Turin, Italy, Paolo Mastrolilli, New York correspondent. Click for details.

(D) New Delhi Television, Stephen Marks, reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Korea Daily News, Chang W. Kim, journalist. Click for details.

(D) Oriental Daily, Chun Fai Cheng, reporter. Click for details.

[pennsyltucky]

its certainly not just msnbc, cnn, and abc.... just clicking around my normal sites i frequent, i have yet to see a random news story that disses barak or one that shows sarah in a positive light. all of the ones we see daily just clickin on yahoo or elsewhere are hard left leaners. its almost funny when you walk thru the checkout at walmart.... there were 8 different magazines there, and every one that had an article on her was very negative and slandering. each one with an article on barak was positive and defensive of him..... amazing to me

[Captain Tuttle]

Wow. Nice list.

Too bad this is not readily disclosed when these folks are "reporting the news".

My point exactly.

BTW - are you "Pector55" of the "Pectors" in NH county? I know some is why I'm asking.

[Cyo]

I don't think it would change anything because the definitions what it means to be in a party or 'liberal' or 'conservative' are completely dependent on the viewer. Bias is in the eye of the beholder. To some McCain is very conservative but to others he far to liberal.

[Pector55]

Wow. Nice list.

Too bad this is not readily disclosed when these folks are "reporting the news".

My point exactly.

BTW - are you "Pector55" of the "Pectors" in NH county? I know some is why I'm asking.

lol, Nah, back in the early 90's I used to play video games online with some guys from the gym. I was benching 380 and my last name is Peck so they determined that I needed a "Geek" name for online play so they made me change my gamer name from "Peck" to "Pector55" to fit in.

[Captain Tuttle]

I don't think it would change anything because the definitions what it means to be in a party or 'liberal' or 'conservative' are completely dependent on the viewer. Bias is in the eye of the beholder. To some McCain is very conservative but to others he far to liberal.

I respectfully disagree.

Right now, there is no explicit distinction of party affiliation. 'Liberal' and 'Conservative' is an ideological label - not a recognized party affiliation.

Voters typically have to register as:

- Democrat
- Republican
- Independent

And, perhaps some other recognized parties such as:

- Libertarian
- Green
- Communist
- etc. (forgive me, if I omitted any other main-stream party affiliations)

All I am suggesting is that in recognition of the changing face/role of media, that all reporters should fully disclose their affiliation. So that there is no pretense of journalistic impartiality. In the interest of full disclosure.

Perhaps forcing the issue of disclosing party affiliation would bring a more fact based orientation to news reporting.

A reporter should NOT be allowed to spin a news story based on their personal orientation and then claim "Freedom of the press" when challenged. That is what is happening now.

It's no different than screaming "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater and expecting protection under the First Amendment.

[Cyo]

I respectfully disagree.

Right now, there is no explicit distinction of party affiliation. 'Liberal' and 'Conservative' is an ideological label - not a recognized party affiliation.

Voters typically have to register as:

- Democrat
- Republican
- Independent

And, perhaps some other recognized parties such as:

- Libertarian
- Green
- Communist
- etc. (forgive me, if I omitted any other main-stream party affiliations)

All I am suggesting is that in recognition of the changing face/role of media, that all reporters should fully disclose their affiliation. So that there is no pretense of journalistic impartiality. In the interest of full disclosure.

Perhaps forcing the issue of disclosing party affiliation would bring a more fact based orientation to news reporting.

A reporter should NOT be allowed to spin a news story based on their personal orientation and then claim "Freedom of the press" when challenged. That is what is happening now.

It's no different than screaming "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater and expecting protection under the First Amendment.

While I appreciate your position, I do not believe in most cases you can have a presentation of 'fact'. You could simply post quotes from people of interest, but that leave open the issue of context and the way individuals define their terms. For example, in the past month, I have heard at least two different talk shows where people disagreed about what 'the surge' was. Just as many folks here believe there is a liberal bias in the main stream media, I know as many folks who will point to a conservative bias in the media. In both cases, people are quick to find bias with what they perceive to be against them and not see it in cases where it supports their views.


I think the best we can realistically hope for is for people to seek information from a variety of sources and then come to their own conclusions regarding the 'bias' of those sources.

[JP8]

I think the best we can realistically hope for is for people to seek information from a variety of sources and then come to their own conclusions regarding the 'bias' of those sources.

Thats probably the best bet we have. See what the rest of the world has to say about the subject. There are very few writers who ever practiced the idea of "journalistic integrity". practiced=were allowed. I was talking to a Philly Inquirer writer in a bar a couple of years ago and he basically set me straight. I asked him why a reporter can't just write what they see and not interject their own opinion...he basically said that is not possible. I then asked about journalistic integrity and he responded that journalistic integrity does not get good stories.

When it comes down to it, the majority of America's newspapers are owned by only a couple of publishers (Cox, Knight-Ridder, NY Times). The majority of the stories they carry are written by only a couple of news services (AP, Reuters). There is really no such thing as a large independent newspaper these days. Even back in the day, the independent newspapers still furthered their owners thoughts. If the average person believes what they see and hear in the media everyday, chances are, you don't want their opinion...because they don't have an opinion.

Though I have never reserached this on my own, I found the following media chart quite interesting: http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml

This is not just a TV/Media thing either. Everyday, children in school and students in universities are being taught that their teachers/professors opinion is fact. It comes as no suprise that the major textbook publishers in this country are also directly involved with the newspaper publishers.

The media has always been the PR outlet for the few that run the show...always.