Liberal media bias, fact or fiction?
4th Estate data does not support the thesis of a liberal media bias as it relates to Election 2012 coverage. If anything, the 4th Estate analysis, which includes multiple data points, suggests a media bias toward both Mitt Romney and Republicans. In news stories and broadcast transcripts that analyzed over the last 3 months, newsmakers appearing in the media as partisan Republicans are quoted at a 44 percent higher rate than partisan Democrats. Additionally, the ratio of positive to negative coverage was 17.1 percent more critical of Obama than Romney. 4th Estate processed 717 articles and 15,357 quotes collected between May 1 and July 15, 2012.
For more information about specific topics and media outlets, please go to the 4th Estate website, where you can also download a slightly larger version of the info graphic.
About this data
The 4th Estate, a national firm based in Montpelier, collects data from a sampling of news stories from US national print outlets, TV broadcast and radio transcripts covering the 2012 election. These stories are contextually analyzed and broken down by influence, topic, sentiment and newsmaker. The data for this graphic includes quotes and statements from newsmakers who provide subjective insight. Statements from candidates are included in the count. The 4th Estate’s parent company, Global News Intelligence, provides similar influence analysis services for government and Fortune 500 companies.
