The Myth of the Liberal Media

One of the central tenets of contemporary political discourse is that the media are liberal. Well-paid pundits from wealthy conservative foundations and think tanks produce a steady drumbeat alleging liberal bias. What’s curious about this view is there’s virtually no evidence to support it. The media are owned by a few large corporations. They sell audiences to other large corporations who advertise. That’s the institutional structure. Thus, the real question is, Are the media free, within their corporate framework, to allow expression of opinion outside of received wisdom?