Et tu, C-Span? 
Even our premiere media outlet, which purports to feature government officials speaking in their own words, has been Bushwhacked. Specifically, we're talking about the Washington Journal and FAIR's recent report on the balanced coverage.
Washington Journal's guest list, tabulating all 663 guests who appeared on the show in the six-month period from November 1, 2004 to April 30, 2005. FAIR examined the guest lists and categorized the participants by gender, ethnicity, party affiliation (if any) and occupation. Interestingly enough, the study also looked at the think tanks most prominently represented on the show.
According to FAIR, here are the facts:
Of the partisan guests, Republicans outnumbered Democrats nearly two to one (134 to 70). Not a single representative of a third party appeared during the study period.
People of color made up only 15 percent of Washington Journal's guestlist (100 out of 663). People of African and Asian heritage accounted for 4 percent each, while those of Middle Eastern and Latin American descent represented 3 percent each. No Native Americans were identifiable during the six months studied.
Male guests outnumbered women by four to one, at 80 percent to 20 percent. Moreover, 69 percent of guests were white males, while just 3 percent were women of color.
Journalists accounted for nearly a third of all guests (32 percent), the largest single occupational group on the guestlist. Of opinion journalists, 32 were right-of-center while only 19 were left-of-center.
Citizen-based organizations and public interest groups accounted for just 9 percent of total guests.
"Balance is our No. 1 goal," Peter Slen, Washington Journal's executive producer and part-time host, once said, adding: "We keep official stats on the Washington Journal, OK? Republicans, Democrats, conservative, liberal, moderates--we try to stay within the week nearly perfect as far as the balance goes."But since publication of the study, C-SPAN has declined to comment on the results, saying only that they would "keep it under advisement." They also turned down a FAIR offer to appear on Washington Journal to discuss the issue.
Now, if the facts are not in dispute, why will no one comment?
In light of recent revelations of domestic spying, Administration-ordered surveillance, paid WH pundits, and conservative think-tank shills, you may be wondering whatever happened to that other urban myth, the liberal media?
When noise machines continue to dominate the public airwaves, as well as all three branches of government, where can citizens turn for undisputed, undiluted, hard, cold reality?
KEYWORDS: Conservatives, Right Wing, Propaganda
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