conservative op-eds
The latest report from MediaMatters covers the preponderance of conservative voices in the syndicated op-ed columns of “nearly every daily newspaper in the country” (available in HTML and 6.1MB PDF). The report is filled with data, and the authors are not afraid to state the obvious conclusions:
The truth is that conservatives have a clear and unmistakable advantage. Conservative columnists appear in more papers than progressive columnists do, and conservatives reach more readers. Most states find their newspapers’ op-ed pages dominated by conservatives. In short, just as in so many other areas of the media, the right has the upper hand.
Conservative domination of the editorial pages is not a new reality to savvy media consumers, although it does contradict the dominant mythology about media bias. As the report concludes:
Conservatives are often heard to complain about the “liberal media,” a nefarious cabal of journalists and media owners supposedly endeavoring to twist the news to serve their ideological agenda. […] …while the right wing spends a great deal of time complaining about alleged bias in the me¬dia, when it comes to the nation’s op-ed pages, it is the progressives who are getting the short end of the stick.