Journos Don't Read Hard-Right Opinion Blogs; Hard-Right Bloggers Blame "Liberal Bias"

Posted by Thers, Whiskey Fire at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2008.

An Ankle-Biting-Pundit expresses concern about the lack of "conservative New Media news sites":

Jonathan Martin has a story out today regarding the Republicans' "dearth of new-media reporting." It's worth reading and puts into circulation a dynamic many of us have quietly expressed our concern about for a long time now: Conservative bloggers write top-notch opinion but liberal bloggers break news....

Of course, Jonathan is correct at the 30,000 foot level: Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo have evolved into news sites, whereas conservative blogs have largely remained commentary sites that occasionally report news when they have it.

And what is to blame for this terrible, terrible problem?

Leftwing media bias.

Ah, but of course. And how can we confirm this hypothesis?

A May MarketWire study confirms this. According to their press release, "The study surveyed journalists from five different beats - politics, lifestyle, technology, healthcare and travel. In addition to gauging their online activity and its impact on reporting, the study also asked journalists to evaluate some of the most popular blogs and social media news sites in their respective field."

And wouldn't you know it, the most popular blogs and social media news sites among political reporters are ... Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo, along with Real Clear Politics and Daily Kos[!].

"[!]" indeed.

Truly, only "leftwing media bias" can explain why political journalists don't spend more of their time reading all the "conservative New Media news blogs" that we've just been told don't actually exist. That's some bias, that leftwing media bias! Is there anything it can't so? (It probably can't explain precisely why Matt Drudge rules anyone's world, but then again, what can?)

But I actually support the idea of political journalists spending more time reading stuff like Ankle Biting Pundits. If I ruled anyone's world I'd even make it mandatory. It would certainly be an eye-opening experience for them, and after the job they've done as a profession over the last eight years, they certainly deserve it.

Tagged as: media, blogosphere

Thers runs Whiskey Fire.