MSNBC.com identified 143 journalists who made political contributions from 2004 through the start of the 2008 campaign, according to the public records of the Federal Election Commission. Most of the newsroom checkbooks leaned to the left: 125 journalists gave to Democrats and liberal causes. Only 16 gave to Republicans. Two gave to both parties.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113485

The Media Elite

In 1981, S. Robert Lichter, then with George Washington University, and Stanley Rothman of Smith College, released a groundbreaking survey of 240 journalists at the most influential national media outlets — including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS — on their political attitudes and voting patterns. Results of this study of the “media elite” were included in the October/November 1981 issue of Public Opinion, published by the American Enterprise Institute, in the article “Media and Business Elites.” The data demonstrated that journalists and broadcasters hold liberal positions on a wide range of social and political issues. This study, which was more elaborately presented in Lichter and Rothman’s subsequent book, The Media Elite, became the most widely quoted media study of the 1980s and remains a landmark today.




KEY FINDINGS:

81 percent of the journalists interviewed voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election between 1964 and 1976.

In the Democratic landslide of 1964, 94 percent of the press surveyed voted for President Lyndon Johnson (D) over Senator Barry Goldwater (R).
In 1968, 86 percent of the press surveyed voted for Democrat Senator Hubert Humphrey.

In 1972, when 62 percent of the electorate chose President Richard Nixon, 81 percent of the media elite voted for liberal Democratic Senator George McGovern.

In 1976, the Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter, captured the allegiance of 81 percent of the reporters surveyed while a mere 19 percent cast their ballots for President Gerald Ford.

Over the 16-year period, the Republican candidate always received less than 20 percent of the media elite’s vote.

Lichter and Rothman’s survey of journalists discovered that “Fifty-four percent placed themselves to the left of center, compared to only 19 percent who chose the right side of the spectrum.”

“Fifty-six percent said the people they worked with were mostly on the left, and only 8 percent on the right — a margin of seven-to-one.”

http://www.mediaresearch.org/biasbasics/biasbasics3.asp

White House Reporters

In 1995, Kenneth Walsh, a reporter for U.S. News & World Report, polled 28 of his fellow White House correspondents from the four TV networks, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Copley, Cox, Hearst, Knight-Ridder, plus Newsweek, Time and U.S. News & World Report, about their presidential voting patterns for his 1996 book Feeding the Beast: The White House versus the Press. Walsh found that his colleagues strongly preferred Democrats, with the White House press corps admitting a total of 50 votes for Democratic candidates compared to just seven for Republicans.





KEY FINDINGS:

In 1992, nine of the White House correspondents surveyed voted for Democrat Bill Clinton, two for Republican George H. W. Bush, and one for independent Ross Perot.

In 1988, 12 voted for Democrat Michael Dukakis, one for Bush.

In 1984, 10 voted for Democrat Walter Mondale, zero for Ronald Reagan.

In 1980, eight voted for Democrat Jimmy Carter, four for liberal independent John Anderson, and two voted for Ronald Reagan.

In 1976, 11 voted for Carter, two for Republican Gerald Ford.

Walsh wrote of the White House press corps members he surveyed: “Even though the survey was anonymous, many journalists declined to reveal their party affiliations, whom they voted for in recent presidential elections, and other data they regarded as too personal — even though they regularly pressure Presidents and other officials to make such disclosures.”

“Those who did reply seemed to be representative of the larger group. Seven said they were Democrats, eleven were unaffiliated with either major party, and not a single respondent said he or she was a registered Republican (although some might have been but were not willing to say so).”

TV and Newspaper Journalists

In March and April 2005, the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy surveyed 300 journalists nationwide — 120 who worked in the television industry and 180 who worked at newspapers and asked for whom they voted in the 2004 presidential election. In a report released May 16, 2005, the researchers disclosed that the journalists they surveyed selected Democratic challenger John Kerry over incumbent Republican President George W. Bush by a wide margin, 52 percent to 19 percent (with 1 percent choosing far-left independent candidate Ralph Nader). One out of five journalists (21 percent) refused to disclose their vote, while another six percent either didn’t vote or said they did not know for whom they voted.




KEY FINDINGS:

More than half of the journalists surveyed (52%) said they voted for Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, while fewer than one-fifth (19%) said they voted for Republican George W. Bush. The public chose Bush, 51 to 48 percent.

When asked “generally speaking, do you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, an Independent, or something else?” more than three times as many journalists (33%) said they were Democrats than said they were Republicans (10%).

While about half of the journalists said they were “moderate,” 28 percent said they thought of themselves as liberals, compared to just 10 percent who said they were conservative.

One out of eight journalists (13%) said they considered themselves “strongly liberal,” compared to just three percent who reported being “strongly conservative,” a four-to-one disparity.

When asked about the Bill of Rights, nearly all journalists deemed “essential” the right of a fair trial (97%), a free press (96%), freedom of religion (95%) and free speech (92%), and 80 percent called “essential” the judicially-derived “right to privacy.” But only 25 percent of the journalists termed the “right to own firearms” essential, while 42 percent called that right “important but not essential,” and 31 percent of journalists rejected the Second Amendment as “not important.

Washington Bureau Chiefs and Correspondents

In April 1996, the Freedom Forum published a report by Chicago Tribune writer Elaine Povich titled, “Partners and Adversaries: The Contentious Connection Between Congress and the Media.” Buried in Appendix D was the real news for those concerned about media bias: Based on the 139 Washington bureau chiefs and congressional correspondents who returned the Freedom Forum questionnaire, the Washington-based reporters — by an incredible margin of nine-to-one — overwhelmingly cast their presidential ballots in 1992 for Democrat Bill Clinton over Republican incumbent George Bush.





KEY FINDINGS:

89 percent of Washington-based reporters said they voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. Only seven percent voted for George Bush, with two percent choosing Ross Perot.

Asked “How would you characterize your political orientation?” 61 percent said “liberal” or “liberal to moderate.” Only nine percent labeled themselves “conservative” or “moderate to conservative.”

Fifty-nine percent dismissed the Republican’s 1994 Contract with America “an election-year campaign ploy.” Just three percent considered it “a serious reform proposal.”

So you want only one side to get it's views out? You consider conservative views "state control"? Maybe you should actually find out which side favors more state control and PC pressure. You'd be surprised.

The list: Journalists who wrote political checks
And their explanations, from ‘Yikes!’ to ‘They’re all in somebody’s pocket’


By Bill Dedman
Investigative reporter
MSNBC
updated 8:29 p.m. CT, Sun., July. 15, 2007



The following 143 journalists made campaign contributions from 2004 through the first quarter of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission records studied by MSNBC.com.

Key:

(D) contributed to Democrats or liberal causes.

(R) to Republicans and conservative causes.




Newspapers:

(in order by approximate circulation)

(D) McClatchy Newspapers, Beryl Adcock, news desk chief, Washington bureau. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Krishnan Amantharaman, managing editor of the classroom edition. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Henny Sender, senior special writer. Click for details.

(D) The Wall Street Journal, Eben Shapiro, editor of the Weekend Journal section. Click for details.

(D) The New York Times, Randy Cohen, ethics columnist. Click for details.

(D) The New York Times, Christine Muhlke, deputy editor, style magazine. Click for details.

(D & R) The New York Times, Nancy Tilghman, freelance writer. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Nick Cuccia, design editor. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Manohla Dargis, film critic, now at The New York Times. Click for details.

(D) Los Angeles Times, Dan Neil, automobile critic. Click for details.

(R) Los Angeles Times, Charles Perry, food writer. Click for details.

(D) New York Daily News, Celia McGee, reporter, and freelancer for The New York Times. Click for details.

(D) New York Daily News, Matthew Roberts, photographer. Click for details.

(R) The Washington Post, Stephen Hunter, film critic. Click for details.

(D) The Chicago Tribune, Maureen Ryan, entertainment reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein, classical music critic. Click for details.

(D) San Francisco Chronicle, William Pates, letters editor for the editorial page. Click for details.

(D) Newsday, Long Island, Rita Hall, section designer/artist/writer. Click for details.

(D) The Boston Globe, Rebecca Ostriker, arts editor/writer. Click for details.

(D) The Boston Globe, Henry Riemer, sports statistician. Click for details.

(R) The Star-Ledger, Newark, Robin Gaby Fisher, feature writer. Click for details.

(D) Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Barbara Haugen, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Detroit Free Press, Susan Hall-Balduf, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Detroit Free Press, Joel Thurtell, reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Oregonian, Portland, Steve Amick, reporter. Click for details.

(R) The Miami Herald, Harry Broertjes, copy editor/page designer. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Penni Crabtree, business reporter. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Bob Elledge, assistant news editor. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Shaffer Grubb, graphic artist. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Arline Smith, news production editor. Click for details.

(D) The San Diego Union-Tribune, Charlie Smith, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Sun, Baltimore, John Scholz, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) San Jose Mercury News, Rachel Wilner, sports editor. Click for details.

(D) Boston Herald, Chris Donnelly, news librarian. Click for details.

(D) South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Ethan Skolnick, sports columnist. Click for details.

(D) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Randy Galloway, sports columnist. Click for details.

(D) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Vincent Langford, sports copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Hartford Courant, Nancy Gallinger, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Hartford Courant, Bill Lewis, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Richmond Times-Dispatch, Michael Hardy, state political reporter. Click for details.

(D) Richmond Times-Dispatch, Pam Mastropaolo, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Contra Costa Times, Calif., Robert Taylor, fine arts reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif., Mark Benoit, wire editor. Click for details.

(D) The Palm Beach Post, Fla., George McEvoy, columnist. Click for details.

(R) The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Barbara Bradley, fashion editor. Click for details.

(D) The Des Moines Register, Stephen P. Dinnen, business reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Honolulu Advertiser, Chris Neil, wire editor. Click for details.

(D) The Blade, Toledo, James Bradley, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Lexington Herald-Leader, Brian Throckmorton, copy desk chief. Click for details.

(R) The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., Beth Hudson, sports reporter. Click for details.

(D) The Daytona Beach, Fla., News-Journal, Marc Davidson, editor. Click for details.

(D) Albany, N.Y., Times Union, Greg Montgomery, graphic design editor. Click for details.

(R) The Washington Times, Gary Arnold, film critic. Click for details.

(D) San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, Calif., Eric Terrazas, sports editor. Click for details.

(R) The New York Sun, Liz Peek, financial columnist. Click for details.

(D) The Lincoln, Neb., Journal Star, Paul Fell, editorial cartoonist. Click for details.

(D) The Lincoln, Neb., Journal Star, Sylvia Hermanson, copy editor. Click for details.

(R) The Macon, Ga., Telegraph, Stephen "Keich" Whicker, local government reporter. Click for details.

(D) New Hampshire Union Leader, David Johnson, sports copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Corpus Christi, Texas, Caller-Times, Elvia Aguilar, business writer. Click for details.

(D) National Catholic Reporter, Margot Patterson, senior writer and arts/opinion editor. Click for details.

(D) York, Pa., Daily Record, Teresa Cook, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Muskegon, Mich., Chronicle, Terry Judd, reporter and chief of the Grand Haven bureau. Click for details.

(D) Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel, Fran Adler, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel, Faith Van Gilder, copy editor. Click for details.

(D) Martha's Vineyard, Mass., Times, Whit Griswold, copy editor. Click for details.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113455/

Magazines:

(D) The Atlantic Monthly, Martha Spaulding, assistant managing editor. Click for details.

(D) Business Week, Prudence Crowther, chief copy editor. Click for details.

(D) The Economist, Andreas Kluth, technology correspondent. Click for details.

(D) The Economist, Joanne Ramos, financial writer. Click for details.

(R) Forbes, Jean A. Briggs, assistant managing editor. Click for details.

(R) Forbes, Robert Lenzner, national editor. Click for details.

(D) Forbes, Tatiana Serafin, senior reporter. Click for details.

(D) Inc., Jane Berentson, editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, David Denby, film critic. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Henry Finder, editorial director and books editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Tad Friend, Hollywood reporter. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Ann Goldstein, head of copy department. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, John Lahr, theater critic. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Janet Malcolm, writer. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, George Packer, war correspondent. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Mark Singer, profile writer. Click for details.

(D) The New Yorker, Judith Thurman, writer. Click for details.

(D) Newsweek, Temma Ehrenfeld, associate editor. Click for details.

(D & R) Newsweek, Jane Bryant Quinn, personal finance columnist. Click for details.

(D) Newsweek, Anne Underwood, correspondent on health and medical stories. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, Jason Fine, deputy managing editor. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, David Swanson, assistant editor. Click for details.

(D) Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, editor and publisher. Click for details.

(D) Time, Jim Frederick, senior editor. Click for details.

(D) U.S. News & World Report, Michael Freeman, researcher. Click for details.

(D) U.S. News & World Report, Amanda Spake, senior writer. Click for details.

(D) Vanity Fair, Elise O'Shaughnessy, contributing editor. Click for details.

(D) Vanity Fair, Michael Shnayerson, contributing editor. Click for details.

Television:

(D) ABC News, Mary Fulginiti, "Primetime" correspondent. Click for details.

(D) ABC affiliate in Boston, WCVB, Sangita Chandra, producer. Click for details.

(D) ABC affiliate in Wichita, KAKE, Susan Peters, anchor. Click for details.

(D) CBS News, Serena Altschul, correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.

(D) CBS News, Edward H. Forgotson Jr., producer, "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Boston, WBZ, Liz Walker, newsmagazine host. Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, KCBS, Claudia Bill, news writer. Click for details.

(D) CBS affiliate in Memphis, WREG, Markova Reed, anchors the morning and noon news. Click for details.

(D) CNN, Guy Raz, Jerusalem correspondent, now defense correspondent for National Public Radio. Click for details.

(R) CW affiliate in Chicago, WGN, Jay Congdon, news producer. Click for details.

(R) CW affiliate in Los Angeles, KTLA, Diana Chi, news writer. Click for details.

(R) Fox News Channel, Ann Stewart Banker, producer for Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor." Click for details.

(D) Fox News Channel, Codie Brooks, researcher for Brit Hume's "Special Report." Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Omaha, KPTM, Calvert Collins, reporter. Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Minneapolis, KMSP, Alix Kendall, morning anchor. Click for details.

(D) Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C., WTTG, Laura Evans, anchor. Click for details.

(R) MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" and "Scarborough Country." Click for details.

(D) MTV News, Gideon Yago, "Choose or Lose" presidential correspondent. Click for details.

(D) NBC News, Victoria Corderi, "Dateline" correspondent. Click for details.

(R) PBS affiliate in New York, Thirteen/WNET, Rafael Roman, host, "New York Voices." Click for details.

(D) Independent station KTVK, Phoenix, Steve Bodinet, reporter. Click for details.

Ummm, what? I think you missed the point I was trying to make. Liberal basically means freedom, liberal media = free press. I think your associating liberal with left wing politics a bit too much.