Numbers don't lie: Quantifying media corruption

by BD Pisani - 2006 jan 07

Last year after ranting about the Drive-by Media's negative coverage on Iraq, Australian blogger Arthur Chrenkoff wanted to be fair in his commentary, so he did some detailed research on actual negative stories broadcast and published versus positive stories. The results are disturbing, to express it mildly.

Since its inception, The B2 Journal has routinely published articles denouncing Drive-by Media bias, citing clearly-defined instances where the print and broadcast media either blatantly falsified stories, skewed headlines and articles to blacken the reputations of their targets, or simply chose not to report important events that were contrary to their agendae. B2 also exposed individual "journalists" when they shamelessly served as boot-lickers for their liberal political overlords and radical special-interest masters, vomiting forth disingenuous propaganda without regard for harm to our nation, our military, or our citizens.

And although most Americans are now aware of the very real, very malignant bias regularly foisted on the public by the "free press," Mr. Chrenkoff's findings are disturbing because they concisely illustrate just how all-encompassing it has become.

Chrenkoff listed the stories published or broadcast all over the world on a single average day, January 21, 2005. Listed below is a breakdown of his findings. Please bear in mind that this is just one day:

  • 2,642 stories about Dr. Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings, in the context of the intense grilling she received over the administration's Iraq policy.
  • 1,992 stories about suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks.
  • 887 stories about prisoner abuse by British soldiers.
  • 216 stories about hostages being held in Iraq.
  • 761 stories reporting on activities and public statements of insurgents.
  • 357 stories about the anti-war movement and waning public support for involvement in Iraq.
  • 182 stories about American servicemen killed and wounded in operations.
  • 217 stories about concerns for fairness and validity of Iraqi elections, such as lack of security, low voter turnout, etc.
  • 107 stories about civilian deaths in Iraq.
  • 123 stories noting Vice President Cheney's admission that he had underestimated the task of reconstruction.
  • 118 stories about complicated and strained relations between the United States and Europe.
  • 121 stories promoting reasons why America should pull out of Iraq.
  • 27 stories about sabotage of Iraqi oil infrastructure.

Staggering, isn't it? Yet the constructive news reported, as opposed to all of the above, pales in comparison:

  • 16 stories about security successes in the fight against insurgents.
  • 7 stories about positive developments relating to elections.
  • 73 stories about the return to Iraq of stolen antiquities.

Mr. Chrenkoff noted that:

"Many stories are 'duplicates' of wire reports from the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and others [wire services], but that's precisely the point: if a negative story from the AP is picked up by hundreds of newspapers around the world, then the story's penetration of the global news market is much greater than another story published in just one local newspaper. This, by the way, cuts both ways: if a wire service writes a positive story, that too gets syndicated worldwide."

Many journalists continue to deny the liberal bias that taints their profession. They imperiously subscribe to the edict that the American public is too stupid to figure things out for themselves.

During the height of CBS's forged memo scandal during the 2004 campaign, Dan Rather insisted that the problem wasn't his transparent bias or use of faked memos, it was anybody who criticized him: "People who are so passionately partisan politically or ideologically committed basically say, 'Because he won't report it our way, we're going to hang something bad around his neck and choke him with it, check him out of existence if we can, if not make him feel great pain.'" Poor Dan. Poor, bitter, delusional Dan.

The press (now construed to mean all forms of journalistic media) is the only private-sector entity specifically referenced in the Constitution, and whose freedom of expression is guaranteed. As such, the journalistic ethics of objectivity and fairness must be strong influences on the profession, else the very real power derived from such mandated protection can be corrupted to do grave harm.

Think about this corruption the next time you are subjected to the news.