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Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite

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Yes, most of us already knew that there was a pervasive, media bias, but were afraid to admit it to ourselves. Bernard Goldberg makes it okay with his first book, Bias, and now this follow up title that is even better than the first. I will warn you now that this is a hard book to put down. It is both freeing and sickening to read about how our news is corrupted by the personal agendas of the liberal elites that run the major news outlets. Goldberg takes us step by step through the hows and whys and gives us ways to recognize media bias. Now that we can admit the problem exists and have the tools to recognize it, we can move forward and challenge the media to provide a fair and balanced picture of local and world events.

Bernie is dead on target once again with this continuation of his first book, BIAS. Once more, Goldberg is no right-winger by any means. He's a traditional liberal with over 25 years experience in the "mainstream" media (mostly with CBS). And, he reiterates that he doesn't think there's some "leftist elite conspiracy" to skew news coverage -- it's just that elite journalists are so insulated from most of "real" America that they truly believe their views (liberal) are the norm, and that ideas to the contrary are odd, in the minority, and even dangerous. Why else identify politicians and advocates as "conservative" at a rate magnitudes greater than their liberal counterparts? Why else go to NOW (National Organization of Women) or the NAACP or People for the American Way as "experts" in their fields -- without balancing their views with those groups' conservative counterparts?

This time out, Goldberg includes interviews with Tim Russert and Bob Costas (whom Goldberg considers two of the more balanced news/sports-guys) about the bias problem, and at book's end offers several chapters of solutions to the elite media's problem. One of these chapters even suggests that Brokaw, Jennings, Rather and co. move their news operations to a Middle American city so that they'll be more "in tune" with average Americans. It sounds humorous at first, but ends up making a hell of a lot of sense!

If you liked BIAS, you'll definitely enjoy this second part.

Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg
Reviewed December 8, 2003

Being a self-confessed news junkie, all I can say is that it is about time someone dealt with liberal bias in the major media. Katie Couric is bad enough, but when Bryant Gumbel was on the Today Show the bias was so self-evident that I was dumbfounded that liberals could look me in the face and innocently say, What Bias? The rolling of the eyes, the disappointing sighs, and the askance looks which were exclusively reserved for conservatives. Hey, how about Matt Lauer interview of Charlton Heston. Can anyone out there cite me one liberal that has been treated with such disrespect?

Unlike Hilary's vast right wing conspiracy Goldberg repeatedly refuses the attribute liberal bias in the news to a conspiracy. The liberal bias is due to the fact that liberals tend to be drawn to journalism, they attend liberal schools; they live in liberal cultural centers such as New York City. The result is that there is hardly a national journalist who would describe himself or herself as liberal. All their friends, family as associates think like them, so they conclude that they are middle of the road. Hence, the media elite constantly refer to label conservative academics, politicians and research groups as conservations; whereas such groups as NOW, physicians for social responsibility, a plethora of public interest groups and such politicians as Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean rarely are labeled as liberal. The inference that the news audience draws is that those who are labeled as conservation are pushing an agenda, whereas those liberal groups that are given a bye on the liberal label are unselfishly working in the nations best interest

The book is very well researched, citing Nexus searches, interview, articles, etc. This is not a rating of a dissatisfied employee, or some conservative wacko, it is a reasoned argument about news bias. The sad conclusion that Goldberg reaches is that news bias is one discussion that liberals will not even discuss. Anyone who puts forth a reasoned argument for bias, is immediately dismissed as a right-wing wacko or as a racist bigot.

I could write several more thousand words, but you would be much better served by reading this insightful book.

The book is, despite a few quirks, and some odd additions, excellent. For those who have seethed with anger at Dan, Peter, Tom, and Perky Katie, Goldberg gives some relief. Its nice to know you are not alone.

I had noted the new effort, by the left, to say the media has a "conservative bias." I found it funny, and wondered when we would hear more about it. Thanks to "Arrogance," we have. The sheer, well, arrogance of the arrogant media has become sick, with constant and deliberate efforts to cover the truth, select the "truth," and shape public opinion.

I would recommed this book to anyone, liberal or conservative, who wanted to know more about the "news" they are getting. What we are getting is "as false as an old set of dentures," or something else folksy Dan Rather might say.

Long ago, William F. Buckley asserted that liberals claim to want to give an airing to "other views", but are then shocked and appalled that there _are_ other views. More recently, Jonah Goldberg said that the word "conservative" in the news media has contracted to simply mean the position you the reader are meant to disapprove of. Both quotes could serve as epigraphs for _Arrogance_.

This book is billed as a prescription for remedies of liberal media bias. It is not. It is a second helping of exposure of journalistic malfeasance on the part of the New York Times and the big three networks. What pointers Goldberg does offer come toward the end, and even then are merely hooks upon which to hang more indictments. It's clear that the publishers, who may be liberal themselves but aren't allergic to the profits a sequel to a conservative bestseller would bring, wanted Goldberg to serve up lots more of the same. In one of her books Ann Coulter noted how reviewers had for years and years referred to popular conservative books as "surprise bestsellers." A surprise to who? Not to Warner Books anymore, not with the bills to pay on that Time-Warner merger with AOL!

To liberals, Bernard Goldberg may be a traitor, but the attempts by some of them to paint him as a hack or a phony have fallen flat. You have to be very good to stay on at the the major networks for nearly thirty years, as Goldberg did. The efforts to smear him merely give more credence to his charge of herd mentality.

It's an important distinction that Goldberg insists on: there is no secret liberal media NKVD, keeping everyone in line. Rather, it's a case of "birds of a feather flock together". Regardless of how educated or smart or possessed of goodwill people may be, they are still taken aback, at least momentarily, if it slips out that one of their number does not share their worldview. Now replace the set of educated, smart people of goodwill with self-impressed, arrogant products of politically correct Blue State journalism schools, and you can see the trouble coming a mile off.

Goldberg goes easy on the statistics and heavy on the dismaying anecdotes. Indeed, if some people continue to dismiss his work as "anecdotal", you can be sure that that means they are nervous that the peasants might be listening. His chapters are arranged thematically: race, feminism, sports, etc. His tone is a rather yammery blend of sarcasm and incredulity, but the sympathetic reader can take this as proof of how outraged he is over how far his profession's standards have fallen. Frequently, he pauses in his description of how a particular story was misreported, to distance himself from the issue or the principals. His only goal is improving journalism, he says, not joining the right-wing media watchdogs. (Though truth to tell, another watchdog of Goldberg's experience and savvy surely wouldn't hurt.)

The book appeared before a couple of recent media feeding frenzies, which would have fit right in. As I write, the national press corps is running Democratic National Committee talking points as breaking news, making a story out of the quality of President Bush's denials of decades-old and still unproven allegations of being AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard. At the same time they are stonewalling for the moment allegations of infidelity on the part of the current Democrat frontrunner. In the internet age, it won't work. Denial is just a river in Egypt, thanks to the internet--and Bernard Goldberg.

If you decide to compare Goldberg's two books you will liekly find ARROGANCE is the better.

The style is a little looser, more names are actually named, several solutions are given for the problem and reaction to the first book is addressed. It is an easier read, almost as if he relieved himself of a burden in the first book and can now spill at will with confort in the 2nd.

In truth the fact that I have yet to see a review of this book on a major TV network excluding FOX tends to confirm the author's point.

It is however an inferior book to BIAS in the sense that BIAS was a groundbreaking book and this one simply builds on it.

Again specific examples in this book make the author's point to the degree that belies the foolhardy way that some have tried to turn the worm on media Bias in general.

It is worthwhile as a follow up, but frankly I think the point is made and the franchise is done for now. The only one left to write would be the specific refutation of the books on the other side.

In conclusion this book has a point to make and makes it. I would suggest it to people on either side of the arguement for either validation or to attempt to refute.

Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg is a truly enjoyable read. Goldberg doesn't waste time trying to create a vast left wing conspiracy tied to Islam or Communism, he just presents the facts as he sees them. As a former insider, he's got the dirt on media bigwigs, and he's not afraid to dish. The liberal bias in the news is causing many people to flee the big three networks and turn on cable to find an escape. Goldberg offers up several examples of this bias and then goes further by coming up with several suggestions (some tongue in cheek) for correcting this slant. He also includes surprisingly frank interviews with Tim Russert and Bob Costas. Goldberg's other books Bias and 100 People Who are Screwing Up America are also excellent reads. He doesn't attack people on a personal level (although you can tell he has a bit of a grudge against Dan Rather) or use hyperbole or vitriol to get his point across. Some books written with a conservative slant make you want to throw up your hands and give up on this country, but Goldberg's books don't have that effect. You can tell he not only loves the country he lives in, but also the profession that he's chosen, and he has hope for the future.

This is a fair and balanced book calling for the open discussion of bias in the media. He's not pointing fingers, he's pushing for changes. For the left-wing media to consistently deny that liberal bias doesn't exist is to sign its own death warrant. Look at the consistent drop in viewership in the major network evening news programs as an example. I applaud Goldberg for his honest evaluation of the problem and his sincere interest in making it better.

I like this book very much as it was written by an insider ,Mr.Goldberg. Of course, the more liberal readers will try to denigrate the book by name calling of the author(something they do rather then just read the book),but in this case Mr. Goldberg is a LIBERAL,but a rare honest one.

Must read if only to set the record straight through the eyes of an insider.

The ongoing, exploding "documentgate" scandal at CBS is a further vindication of Bernard Goldberg. This book is positively prophetic and sheds a lot of light on how scandals such as the ones that have plagued CBS, USA TODAY, and the NEW YORK TIMES could have happened. He exposes the tremendous blindness that arrogance among the media elites produces, and why they continually fall into traps that they have set for themselves. Goldberg is proof that there are still liberals out there with principle and conscience. An excellent writer and communicator who possesses tremendous knowledge and passion about his subject, Goldberg will not only keep the reader's attention, but will likely raise the reader's blood pressure...and IQ.