Is CNN neutral?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Is CNN neutral?
12
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 8:41am

I'm in the UK, and I've just found out that my cable TV carries CNN. It would be interesting to watch in the run-up to the election, but I'm wondering whether CNN is considered a neutral or biased news source. I'm aware that American news channels can be very partisan, so any advice on this would be appreciated.

TIA

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-13-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 8:45am
CNN is a reasonable choice for following political events here. Since Comcast moved MSNBC off its basic tier, I've followed CNN. If you can get a PBS feed, that would another solid choice.

Full length fiction: worlds undone

"You have no power over my body..." ~ Anne Hutchinson

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2004
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:15am
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:25am

Though, lianne, you should know that NewsBusters is a project of the right-wing Media Research Center, and that the first sentence on its "about us" page reads:

"Welcome to NewsBusters, a project of the Media Research Center (MRC), the leader in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias."

That doesn't mean that what they say about CNN or any other outlet is necessarily false, but it DOES mean that whether CNN can be fairly judged to possess or display a bias, NewsBusters itself most certainly - by their own admission and celebration - does. Something worth taking into account when they rail against perceived "liberal bias" in the American media.





Konichiwa, Bitches!
McCain LOST???

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-03-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:30am
I watch ABC for the most part, CNN on occassion, but i never watch FOX except for Sports.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:37am

You will probably have to take an average or something of the answers you get since many here are influenced by their own opinion.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:42am

"Taking advantage of the MRC's thorough and ongoing tracking of liberal media bias, including a wealth of documentation and an archive of newscast video dating back 18 years, we aim to have NewsBusters play a leading role in blog media criticism by becoming the clearinghouse for all evidence of liberal media bias by joining to this formidable information store the contributions of already-established netizens as well as those who want to join in the web revolution."

That is what the source you cited says about itself. It is clearly on the warpath against what it sees as some kind of liberal media conspiracy. You can see more evidence of the bias of the source farmboy cites below. So basically, the poster starting this thread is asking for an unbiased source and in response a conservative blogger cites him to a conservative web site without telling him it's a conservative web site. That's basically what the Fox-Republicans are all about these days. They've sunk pretty far.

My answer to the poster asking for an unbiased source is don't rely on one source. Read many. Evaluate the facts. And make up your own mind.

From wikipedia:

"NewsBusters
In the summer of 2005, Media Research Center launched NewsBusters in cooperation with Matthew Sheffield, a conservative blogger involved in the CBS Killian documents story. NewsBusters is styled as a rapid-response blog site that contains posts by MRC editors to selected stories in mass media."

"The Media Research Center (MRC) is a conservative content analysis organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1987 by L. Brent Bozell III. Its stated mission, according to its website, is "to bring balance and responsibility to the news media", and the MRC catalogs and reports on what it asserts to be widespread liberal media bias in the United States press.
The MRC has received financial support from several foundations, including the Bradley, Scaife, Olin, Castle Rock, Carthage and JM foundations."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsbusters

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:43am

CNN Europe is pretty good. As a whole the network is considered mildly left-leaning, i.e. more inclined to the liberal establishment than to the GOP. However, it being American overrides any partisan leaning, IMO. IOW, the network is usually fairly close to the government line.

رقاصة جميلة

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:48am

Thank you. I watched a little yesterday and they had a piece on who the rest of the world would like you to elect. The answer was Obama, but I didn't think that necessarily portrayed a bias on the channel's part since it's such an obvious answer.

I'll keep you posted :o)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:50am

Thank you. The difficulty is that CNN is the only US TV news channel I can get, but I've lurked on this board for some time and both sides are well represented here.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-13-2008
In reply to: lianne_67
Sun, 11-02-2008 - 9:53am
Um, thats a popular vote.

Full length fiction: worlds undone

"You have no power over my body..." ~ Anne Hutchinson

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