Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Hardcover)

by Bernard Goldberg (Author) "I can't say the precise moment it hit me, but I do know that it was on a Sunday night while I was watching the..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Dan Rather, Andrew Heyward (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Think the media are biased? CONSERVATIVES HAVE BEEN crying foul for years, but now a veteran CBS reporter has come forward to expose how liberal bias pervades the mainstream media. Even if you've suspected your nightly news is slanted to the left, it's far worse than you think. Breaking ranks and naming names, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Bernard Goldberg reveals a corporate news culture in which the close-mindedness is breathtaking, journalistic integrity has been pawned to liberal opinion, and "entertainment" trumps hard news every time. In his three decades at CBS, Goldberg repeatedly voiced his concerns to network executives about the often one-sided nature of the news coverage. But no one listened to his complaints-or if they did listen, they did nothing about the problem. Finally, Goldberg had no choice but to blow the whistle on his own industry, to break the code of silence that pervades the news business. Bias is the result. As the author reveals, "liberal bias" doesn't mean simply being hard on Republicans and easy on Democrats. Real media bias is the result of how those in the media see the world-and their bias directly affects how we all see the world.

In Bias you'll learn:
-How on issues ranging from homelessness to AIDS, reporters have simply regurgitated the propaganda of pressure groups they favor, to the detriment of honest reporting
-The Peter Jennings test for classifying politicians-and how all the networks do it
-The network color bar-why so many "victims" on network news stories are blond-haired, blue-eyed, and middle class
-How one high-level CBS News executive told Goldberg that of course the networks tilt left-but in the next breath said he'd deny that statement if Goldberg ever went public
-One of the biggest stories of our time-and why you probably didn't hear about it on the evening news
-How political correctness in network newsrooms puts "sensitivity" ahead of facts
-The real Dan Rather-a man who regards criticism of liberal bias as treason. If you ever suspected the network news was shortchanging the truth, Goldberg will not only prove you right, he'll give you a glimpse of just how it's done, and how fairness, balance, and integrity have disappeared from network television.

From the Publisher
IN HIS NEARLY thirty years at CBS News, Emmy Award- winner Bernard Goldberg earned a reputation as one of the preeminent reporters in the television news business. When he looked at his own industry, however, he saw that the media far too often ignored their primary mission: objective, disinterested reporting. Again and again he saw that they slanted the news to the left. For years Goldberg appealed to reporters, producers, and network executives for more balanced reporting, but no one listened. The liberal bias continued. Now, in Bias, he blows the whistle on the news business, showing exactly how the media slant their coverage while insisting that they're just reporting the facts.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc.; Later Printing edition (February 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895261901
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261908
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (854 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for all, February 3, 2002

By A Customer

I just finished reading BIAS and I HIGHLY recommend it for people of all political persuasions. A couple things to note:

1. It's a very engaging read -- well written and entertaining on top of infomative.

2. It's much more SUBSTANTIAL than I expected. I thought it would just be an anti-liberal gossip session but it had a LOT of MEAT in it that I think would be interesting to any AMERICAN, not just a conservative one.

3. I've always sensed a liberal bias in the media, but thought that was just "spin" ...reporting the PART of the news that fit their agenda. I was sincerely shocked to learn of instances where they have FLAT OUT LIED to us.

Great Book!

86 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No New News Here, December 2, 2001

By	Charles E. Brown "Charles E. Brown" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The bias of many major news organizations has been debated for many years. For the most part, liberal or conservative, objective news reporting is illusory. Yet the PR machines of these same organizations feel that the general public is not capable of seeing right through them.

Goldberg's book, in my opinion, does a creditable job of further exposing the mechanics behind this bias. While there is no room to go into great detail, the book attacks ALL media bias; not just liberal (the recent Drudge Report articles seem to highlight just the liberal bias).

Goldberg makes a good argument for reexamining the whole corporate structure of the news business. One can certainly infer that the profits would still be there without the bias.

This reviewer has always liked the reporting of Mr. Goldberg, and this book certainly has brought out what I always suspected about him: that he tries to live up to the expectation of being objective. I would now be curious to see what happens to his career. According to reports, some of his colleagues were not pleased with this book.

I highly recommend this book as food for thought in the high-tech news world that we now live in. Our news organizations need to differentiate between news reporting and editorials.

Charles E. Brown

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How ironic..., November 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Paperback)

According to Amazon.com standards, a Spotlight Review must adhere to these guidelines...

"Spotlight Reviews are based on how well the review was written and how helpful it was deemed by our customers. We surface them on the site so that you can get good information quickly. Spotlight Reviews are calculated on a daily basis for most items in our catalog with customer reviews."

So why are both reviews for this book (Bias by Bernard Goldberg) poorly written and unhelpful? Neither "reviewer" (a loosely-used term in this case) liked the book. To be fair (and unBIASed), this page should contain a positive and negative review, to cover both sides. Furthermore, even if both reviews simply must be negative, why would these two be chosen? 30% people thought the second review was helpful, while a whopping 4 OUT OF 24 PEOPLE found the first one helpful. So, in total, 27 out of 34 people found these "Spotlight Reviews" unhelpful.

I wouldn't normally bother with this sort of thing. I just found it rather ironic, considering the subject matter of the book itself (and the fact that neither argument makes any valid points, but rather uses emotion to {unsuccessfully} sway a potential buyer.)

Anyway. Concerning the book.

If you're chronically liberal, don't bother. Your immediate rage will ruin any chance you have of seeing any truth in Goldberg's argument.

If you're ultra conservative, save yourself some money. You'll likely agree with everything he says (or that you think he says) simply because he's speaking out against a form of liberalism.

If you're open-minded and can avoid both mindless aversion and mindless adherence, you can benefit and learn from some of the very valid points made in this book. Don't listen to the emotional ravings of either extreme. Decide for yourself, if you can handle it.