Editorial

Contrary to what Dan Rather, the New York Times and your local newspaper would have you believe, you were right all along – America’s news media is liberal. And now there’s indisputable evidence to prove it.

Your impressions about the news media’s liberal tilt recently have been quantified in a survey of both national and local news media professionals. Despite its leading advocates’ protests to the contrary, a significant percentage of journalists – both in the national elite outlets and in your local newspapers – do not share your values.

A survey of 547 journalists conducted March 10–April 20 by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released May 23 demonstrates the media is not on the side of those of us with a biblical worldview.

“Journalists at national and local news organizations are notably different from the general public in their ideology and attitudes toward political and social issues,” the survey noted. “Most national and local journalists, as well as a plurality of Americans (41 percent), describe themselves as political moderates. But news people – especially national journalists – are more liberal, and far less conservative, than the general public.”

You may not have heard about the study’s findings of liberalism in the press since most of the coverage of that part of the survey was buried or non-existent, demonstrating the validity of the survey’s findings. Instead, coverage centered on the survey’s finding that 55 percent of the journalists polled believe the media are “not critical enough” on President Bush while only eight percent agree that their colleagues are “too critical” of him. This finding alone illustrates the liberalism of the press.

Further, it’s important to note that the Pew Center is no bastion of conservatism, which makes its findings of liberalism in the news media that much more damning.

Liberals in the press

Incredibly, nearly five times as many news media professionals call themselves liberal or very liberal (34 percent) as those who embrace the label conservative (7 percent), and the percentage of self-identified liberals has increased by 12 percentage points in just the last nine years. In fact, the press is almost the mirror opposite of the general public on values: while 34 percent of journalists are liberals, 33 percent of Americans are conservative.

Even the finding that 54 percent of journalists say they are moderate (by merely assenting to the label), is not as encouraging as one may first believe. The percentage of self-identified moderates has dropped 10 percentage points since 1995. Additionally, answers to the limited number of questions in the survey about values indicate that many moderate journalists are probably liberals who will not admit their true ideological loyalties.

For example, while 58 percent of the general public believes that morality is tied to belief in God, an astounding 91 percent of the national press maintains belief in God is not necessary for morality. And, while a slim majority of Americans (51 percent) believe society should accept homosexuality, 88 percent of national media believes that society should accept homosexuality. Clearly, a healthy percentage of those journalists adhering to the moderate label also affirmed the idea of godless morality and societal acceptance of homosexuality. To most people, like you and me, that’s not moderate.

Local and conservative press

The problem of liberalism in the newsroom is not limited to the “elite” media. According to the Pew survey, the percentage of local journalists who call themselves liberal or very liberal has jumped to 23 percent, up from 14 percent just nine years ago. Further, 78 percent of local journalists agree that morality is not tied to belief in God and 74 percent of local press believe that society should accept homosexuality.

Finally, it should be a wake-up call for those who take comfort in conservative news outlets that a whopping 72 of conservative journalists believe in godless morality and almost half (49 percent) believe society should accept homosexuality. Clearly, conservative journalists operate from a secular worldview, meaning even their reporting must be carefully scrutinized.

The increasing acceptance of homosexuality by Americans is clear evidence of the pernicious influence of the press in our society. The Pew Center’s survey cites a slightly dated survey (Sept. 2002) for its findings of 51 percent agreement with societal acceptance of homosexuality. Since then, there has been something of a backlash to homosexuality in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the Texas sodomy law and the dramatic escalation of the promotion of “gay marriage” in recent months. Still, there’s no doubt that there has been a revolution of American public opinion on homosexuality.

“Since the mid-1990s … public support has increased for societal acceptance of homosexuality, while journalists’ attitudes have been more stable,” the survey noted. Clearly, the news media’s sympathetic reporting on homosexuality has help to accelerate Americans’ acceptance of that deviant lifestyle.

What to do about it

Rather than complaining about liberalism in the press, Christians need to do something about it. First, we need to encourage fellow Christians to pursue vocations in the media – and be sure to take their worldview with them. Secondly, we need to educate our people about media bias, help them evaluate what they read and see, and offer alternative news sources.

For Florida Baptists, there is a solid alternative to the liberal press. Florida Baptist Witness offers news and commentary from a distinctively Christian, biblical worldview – without apology. While the liberal media claims to practice objectivity and routinely fails to meet that unattainable standard, the Witness aspires to a higher measuring stick – the biblical standard of truth and justice in light of our commitment to the Christian Gospel and Baptist doctrine.

Pastors and church leaders have an obligation to help Southern Baptists be inculcated against the deleterious effects of liberal news media. On a weekly basis – 46 times per year – Florida Baptist Witness is just what Southern Baptists need to be informed about their world so that they can be effective witnesses for Christ in our increasingly secular, immoral society.

Because of funding from the Cooperative Program (which accounts for about 37 percent of our budget), the Witness is an incredible bargain for churches and individuals. Churches which provide the Witness to every family pay only $9.25 per subscription, those with at least 10 subscriptions pay only $10.50, and individuals may subscribe for a mere $15. Even more economical is our Church Newsletter Service, with a subscription rate of only $8 per family, plus minimal costs for the newsletter, depending on frequency, number of pages and use of color. See our Web site: www.FloridaBaptistWitness.com, for more details.

News media liberalism and secularism is not news to anyone who pays even scant attention, but the Pew Center survey is an important reminder that those of us with a biblical worldview need to evaluate everything we read and see in the press knowing that we simply cannot trust much of what the news media tells us. Not so with the Witness.

Strike a blow against the liberal press; subscribe to and read Florida Baptist Witness.