There is this little lie that the right likes to say: the main-stream media is liberal. (Except Fox, because it's "Fair and Balanced.") As you can guess, this lie is extremely powerful. Once you accept that the media is biased to the left, several things happen. You begin to think that they're only telling you what they want you to hear. You begin to think that the center is further to the right, and because you want to be in the mainstream, you move yourself to accomodate. You send angry letters (which pile up and have an effect.) You tune into Fox, which is bad.
A lie has to have a grain of truth, though. And even this one does. We all know that most reporters are liberal because of some poll. We all know, however, that the people who own the media and produce it are conservatives because of the same poll. And corporations have conservative interests. Still, that's not enough.
If you grew up in a conservative setting, then you'll have an understanding of why the media is perceived as liberal. It's because the media will take the side of tolerance. Hell, to be a reporter, you have to tolerate the people that you interview, at least for the duration of that interview. But the news isn't the sum of the media.
It also includes all of those sit-coms. They're socially liberal (at least in the mind of someone who thinks that liberalism is about being gay, a working woman, or promiscuous... sometimes all of the above.) "Will and Grace," "Friends," "M*A*S*H," and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" are all sort of liberal. Since it's on the same channel as the nightly news, the nightly news must also be liberal. (I think that this fact might be part of why there is no national news on basic network Fox.)
When a reporter kindly interviews the gay man, people see liberalism. When a well-meaning liberal reporter obviously misunderstands some pro-lifers (and that happens,) the people see liberalism. When the reporters show their obvious anti-gun slant during the crime report, the people see liberalism. When the reporters talk about the latest art exhibit in town, the people see snooty elitist liberalism.
I have only one idea of what to do about this problem. Someone who knows what they're doing (makes me ineligible) must create a liberal news network on cable. It's got to be flaming class-warring, pro-feminism, anti-bigot, tree-hugging, latte-drinking, peace-loving, pinko liberal reporting. It's got to be honest about its leftist leanings, because liberals strive for honesty, but it's got to happen. If we can't lure the moderates into being liberal by acting like moderates, we've got to show the right just how far away they are from the left.
The DLC and others will cry foul, and the far right will talk about how it proves their point that the media is liberal, despite the fact that it proves the opposite. But I think it's got to be done. And I'm not the sort to do it. Oh well.