Evidence and Motives for Media Bias Against Conservatives

by | Quotes

“To be sure, it can be argued that the media’s notorious dislike of Nixon is in some measure personal as well as ideological. Nixon, after all, has never been as explicit a conservative on most issues as either Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan … But that line of argument would not, even at best, exculpate the media from the charge of bias against Nixon; it would merely advance another reason for it. Moreover, there is subsequent and impressive evidence of comparable media bias against Ronald Reagan, who is not widely disliked in personal terms by the media, and as to whose conservatism there can be no doubt whatever.”

Source: The Coming Battle for the Media: Curbing the Power of the Media Elite (1988).

Keywords: media bias, conservative-leadership, elections, identity

Author

  • William A. Rusher (1923–2011), publisher of National Review (1957–1988), was a leading conservative spokesman, columnist, and author. He helped draft Barry Goldwater for the 1964 GOP nomination, shaping the party’s future. A Princeton and Harvard Law graduate, he served in WWII, worked in law, and advised the U.S. Senate. In 1989, he became a Distinguished Fellow at the Claremont Institute and remained active in conservative circles until his passing in 2011.

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