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An economist with the U.S. Federal Reserve, Irvine was irritated by what he saw as a "liberal bias" in the U.S. news media. He was quick to take the TV network, newspaper or other outlet to task when he saw bias, often causing them to issue corrections. Irvine's hobby turned full time in 1969 when he founded the Accuracy in Media organization. His 1988 campaign to call CBS News anchor Dan Rather to task is still going strong, buoyed by Rather's 60 Minutes blunder where he used falsified documents to discredit the President, causing himself and CBS massive embarrassment. The AIM organization even bought stock in media companies so Irvine could go to shareholder meetings to confront media executives, leading one exasperated exec (Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee) to rail in writing that Irvine was a "miserable, carping, retromingent vigilante." Irvine, AIM says, framed the letter for the office wall. "He was a pioneer of the liberal bias argument," says Columbia Journalism Review executive editor Michael Hoyt. "There is such a thing as liberal bias. He just raised the issue, which was a kind of victory in itself." Irvine died November 16 after a stroke. He was 82. From This is True for 14 November 2004 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Bernard Goldberg List Price: $13.95 Amazon Price: $10.32 Editorial Review: In his nearly thirty years at CBS News, Emmy Award winner Bernard Goldberg earned a reputation as one of the preeminent reporters in the television news business. When he looked at his own industry, however, he saw that the media far too often ignored their primary mission: to provide objective, disinterested reporting. Again and again he saw that the news slanted to the left. For years, Goldberg appealed to reporters, producers, and network executives for more balanced reporting, but no one listened. The liberal bias continued. Now, breaking ranks and naming names, he reveals a corporate news culture in which the closed-mindedness is breathtaking and in which entertainment wins over hard news every time.  By: Eric Alterman List Price: $15.00 Amazon Price: $10.50 Editorial Review: The incredulity begins with the title What Liberal Media?, journalist Eric Alterman's refutation of widely flung charges of left-wing bias, and never lets up. The book is unlikely to make many friends among conservative media talking heads. Alterman picks apart charges made by Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, George Will, Sean Hannity, and others (even the subtitle refers to a popular book by former CBS producer Bernard Goldberg that argues a lefty slant in news coverage). But the perspectives of less-incendiary figures, including David Broder and Howard Kurtz, are also dissected in Alterman's quest to prove that not only do the media lack a liberal slant but that quite the opposite is true. Much of Alterman's argument comes down to this: the conservatives in the newspapers, television, talk radio, and the Republican party are lying about liberal bias and repeating the same lies long enough that they've taken on a patina of truth. Further, the perception of such a bias has cowed many media outlets into presenting more conservative opinions to counterbalance a bias, which does not, in fact, exist, says Alterman. In methodically shooting down conservative charges, Alterman employs extensive endnotes, all of which are referenced with superscript numbers throughout the body of the book. Those little numbers seem to say, "Look, I've done my homework." What Liberal Media? is a book very much of 2003 and will likely lose some relevance as political powers and media arrangements evolve. But it's likely to be a tonic for anyone who has suspected that in a media environment overflowing with conservatives, the charges of bias are hard to swallow. For liberals hoping someone will take off the gloves and mix it up with the verbal brawlers of the right, Eric Alterman is a champion. --John MoeWidely acclaimed and hotly contested, veteran journalist Eric Alterman's ambitious investigation into the true nature of the U.S. news media touched a nerve and sparked debate across the country. As the question of whose interests the media protects-and how-continues to raise hackles, Alterman's sharp, utterly convincing assessment cuts through the cloud of inflammatory rhetoric, settling the question of liberal bias in the news once and for all. Eye-opening, witty, and thoroughly and solidly researched, What Liberal Media? is required reading for media watchers, and anyone concerned about the potentially dangerous consequences for the future of democracy in America.  By: Brian C. Anderson List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $16.47 Editorial Review: For the better part of 30 years, liberal bias has dominated mainstream media. But author and political journalist Brian Anderson reveals in his new book that the era of liberal dominance is going the way of the dodo bird. Eyes right: conservatives are winning the media war. How do they do it?(Book ... By: Rick Perlstein List Price: $5.95 Amazon Price: $5.95 Editorial Review: This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 3030 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Eyes right: conservatives are winning the media war. How do they do it?(Book Review) Author: Rick Perlstein Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed) Date: March 1, 2003 Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism Volume: 41 Issue: 6 Page: 52(4) Article Type: Book Review Distributed by Thomson Gale Groups challenge 'liberal bias' on campus: lawmakers push to air conservative... List Price: $5.95 Amazon Price: $5.95 Editorial Review: This digital document is an article from University Business, published by Professional Media Group LLC on May 1, 2005. The length of the article is 574 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Groups challenge 'liberal bias' on campus: lawmakers push to air conservative views.(UPDATE) Publication: University Business (Magazine/Journal) Date: May 1, 2005 Publisher: Professional Media Group LLC Volume: 8 Issue: 5 Page: 14(1) Distributed by Thomson Gale |
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