Barry Goldwater, Distrust in Media, and Conservative Identity: The Perception of Liberal Bias in the News

Conservatives believe that the US news media has a liberal bias, which affects their perception of media content and political discourse. Barry Goldwater, Distrust in Media, and Conservative Identity: The Perception of Liberal Bias in the News explores the origins of this perception by positing a social identity explanation. Rich Shumate suggests that conservatives need to foster and maintain social identity as conservatives to perceive content from elite news media outlets as biased when it does not validate their world view, deeming it hostile and "liberal". This book is useful for scholars of communication, media studies, journalism, political science, and American history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 174 pages
Publication date: 07 July 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

The notion that the American news media exhibits a liberal bias is a topic that sparks debate among conservatives and influences their perceptions of media content and political discourse. Despite the implementation of professional standards aimed at preventing deliberate bias, some conservatives argue that the media deliberately leans to the left. In his book, Barry Goldwater, Distrust in Media, and Conservative Identity: The Perception of Liberal Bias in the News, Goldwater explores the origins of this perception while avoiding the subjective realm of measuring bias. Instead, he proposes a social identity explanation for the belief in a liberal bias. Rich Shumate further argues that conservatives must foster and maintain their social identity as conservatives to perceive content from elite news media outlets as biased when it does not align with their worldviews, perceiving it as hostile and, consequently, "liberal." Shumate delves into the formation of this perception during a crucial period in American political history, from 1960 to 1964, when conservatives organized to elect Barry Goldwater as president and ultimately felt that the news media had unfairly stacked the deck against their candidate. This book holds significance for scholars in communication, media studies, journalism, political science, and American history.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 228 x 162 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793620781