
<p>A relatively minor incident occurred at a CBS affiliate in Austin, Texas that reveals a much larger problem with the news industry’s left-wing bias.</p>



<p>According to an online article by the <em>Daily Mail</em>:</p>



<p>“<em>CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss is &#8216;fuming&#8217; over a viral video that appears to show a CBS Austin (Texas) reporter being instructed to downplay coverage of a pro-Israel protest then occurring behind him.”</em></p>



<p>The video shows the reporter, Vinny Martorano about to interview participants in the protest. He then gets a call from the studio. He asks, “What does that mean?” To which a crew member says, “It means they don&#8217;t want us to focus on this.”</p>



<p>That is not surprising. The left-wing media has consistently downplayed the protests celebrating the death of the Iranian Supreme Leader – and praising President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu – in favor of coverage of the much fewer and smaller anti-war protests.</p>



<p>CBS has been righting (literally) its historic left-wing lean under new management. The network will soon be part of Paramount, owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, a Trump friend and ally. The local affiliate involved is owned by Sinclair Communications, a company that tends to be more conservative. Sinclair issued a statement that, “There was no directive to avoid or de-emphasize any particular perspective.”</p>



<p>Regardless, the dust-up does reveal the role of producers in influencing the news, In fact, it is the producers who have the most control over news content on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour basis on radio and television. And yet, they are invisible to the audience. Like bureaucrats in Washington, the operate out of sight and with relative impunity – accountable only to their bosses, and not always.</p>



<p>The incident in Austin reminded me of a conversation I once had with on of those producers. I demanded that he correct an obvious, provable and egregious error in their reporting, telling him that the people have right to know the truth. He responded, with emphasis on “I”, “I decide what the people have a right to see.” I do not grant producers that “right”, but they do have the “power” – and it is a huge problem when they abuse it.</p>



<p>It is a pervasive problem. We saw it when then-MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski let the truth slip from here lips, “It is our job to tell the people what to think.”</p>



<p>Everyone knows – or at least believes – that the news media is biased. Some more than others. As a person who covers the news media waterfront virtually every day, I see it in all its shades. Unlike most conservatives, I have never seen CNN as the worst example of news bias.</p>



<p>I have also applied some objected analysis before forming my opinions, literally logging hard information. Are there a variety of viewpoints among the anchors and hosts? Do the guests, panelists and interviewees represent differing views? Does the network cover a wide range of stories in all categories? Also applied a “lean” analysis. Where did the networks fit on the left to right political/philosophy scale?</p>



<p>Give my quasi-scientific approach, I have compiled a rating on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being the best and 10 being the worst. It came out like this. (I Even surprised myself in some cases).</p>



<p>In terms of fairness (no obvious bias), none of them got a 1 – or even a 2 or a 3.</p>



<p><strong>FOX</strong> (cable and broadcast) and <strong>NBC</strong> earn 4s. Both lean – FOX to the right and NBC to the left. But if you watched them, you would see information across the spectrum – and a lot of news in other categories – sports, business, entertainment, science, etc. You would at least hear from all sides on controversial (political) issues &#8212; even if there is a pinky finger on the scale. If the three so-called late night comedians, Jimmy Fallon is the least biased, but still leans left.</p>



<p><strong>CNN</strong> came in at 5. While conservatives have made CNN the whipping boy of biased left-wing media – the purveyor of “fake news” – I have never seen it that way. I see CNN as a counterbalance to FOX – a lean to the left, but not a complete capitulation.</p>



<p><strong>CBS</strong> earned a 6 on the Horist Scale. Not terrible, but a decided to lean to the left. However, new management has been moving the network to the middle in the hope of reclaiming some footing in the ratings game. Also, CBS is being taken over by Paramount, and this is likely to bring about significant changes in programming. It will take a few months to make an updated judgment. The network’s major bias comes from late-night comedian Stephen Colbert. His departure will help.</p>



<p><strong>ABC</strong> is at 8. They still provide a smidgeon of balanced journalism – but not obvious unless you go looking for it. The morning show and late might comedian Jimmy Kimmel are particularly egregious.</p>



<p><strong>PBS</strong> earned a 9. It is not the worst, but it teeters on the edge of the far left. That should come as no surprise since government owned or influenced media generally support big government progressivism.</p>



<p><strong>MS NOW </strong>is at 10 – and that is generous. Calling MS NOW a news station is a misnomer. It operates 24/7/365 as a radical left-wing propaganda network – and as such, it censors the opposition, creates false narratives, misrepresents the facts. And outright lies. Anyone who makes MS NOW their news choice will not be educated. They will be indoctrinated &#8212; gaslighted. This is the only news outlet I see producing “fake news.” Ironically, the old MSNBC had the best election analyst, Steve Kornacki – but he wisely stayed with NBC after the breakup.</p>



<p>I understand that it is not a fully scientific analysis (I wish someone would do one), but I did my best to set aside my own biases and look at the networks objectively. I also know those on the left will spin this commentary beyond recognition. Looking at things objectively is beyond their ability.</p>



<p>The bottom line is that news platforms tend to lean one way or the other – with some it is more than a lean. And if you want to know who is implementing it in real time, look to the folks in the control booth.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

A Detailed Look at News Media Bais
