FAIR has conducted a study of C-Span's popular Washington Journal, available here. The program format provides for a number of guests and call-in comments and questions from the audience. The show has long claimed to be politically neutral in its selection of guests, so as to provide a format for useful dialogue that is informative and helpful.
FAIR's report shows that the claim of political neutrality is, alas, much like Fox News' claim of being "fair and balanced." The study examined the party affiliations of government guests and others for whom affiliation is relevant, gender, ethnicity and occupation. It found a consistent pattern of favoring dominant groups and conservative ideology.
- Republicans outnumber Democrats two to one
- Whites outnumber minorities 85% to 15%
- Men outnumber women four to one
- Journalists and special interests outnumber citizen-based groups more than 10 to one
One more piece of evidence that concentrated corporate ownership of media in the country is limiting the perspectives offered and ensuring that conservative views are given dominance. It has to change, but it is unclear how change can take place when the media is saturated with slanted commentary and information that misinforms Americans about the range of views on issues.