New design USA flag coming?

[kphoger]

Cable news/the internet are largely responsible for the drastic increase in polarization. The attitudes of the voters became more homogonized.

I am not sure if it is news that making folks think that way, I think it is the news portraying that is the way it is.

If your argument is that the major media outlets are unbiased and uninterested at getting a reaction out of their audience, then good luck getting people to agree with you.

[webny99]

If your argument is that the major media outlets are unbiased and uninterested at getting a reaction out of their audience, then good luck getting people to agree with you.

Most are, but some aren't. Finding the ones that aren't is the hard part because, first of all, many people don't even want unbiased coverage, and second of all, they seem to be getting fewer and farther between.

[hotdogPi]

If your argument is that the major media outlets are unbiased and uninterested at getting a reaction out of their audience, then good luck getting people to agree with you.

Most are, but some aren't. Finding the ones that aren't is the hard part because, first of all, many people don't even want unbiased coverage, and second of all, they seem to be getting fewer and farther between.

Many of the paywalled online newspapers are good. The problem is that they're paywalled. The Guardian, however, is not paywalled. NPR is also good (and not paywalled), but they seem to cover specific stories and aren't in the format of your typical newspaper or TV news broadcast.

They still have attention-grabbing headlines, but that doesn't mean they're biased.

[mgk920]

But the last time the Constitution was amended was in the 1990s, before the concept of "red states" and "blue states" had really gained hold.

There was plenty of vicious partisanship in all eras.  Just because someone decided to associate colors with the parties in the aftermath of the 2000 election doesn't mean there was an increase in partisanship then.

For a couple of decades before the 1860s, it was 'slave states' v. 'free states'.  The Missouri Compromise came from that era.

Mike

[webny99]

Many of the paywalled online newspapers are good. The problem is that they're paywalled.

I'm looking right at you, New York Times.

(I know many people would call them biased, and rightly so, but they do have good data journalism.)

[kphoger]

Many of the paywalled online newspapers are good. The problem is that they're paywalled.

I'm looking right at you, New York Times.

(I know many people would call them biased, and rightly so, but they do have good data journalism.)

Washington Post...

[Rothman]

The mythology that some unnamed past time had a more gentle politics is unsupported by history.

I remember when a wave of Reps retired with Pat Schroeder and they were all bemoaning how miserable Congress had become.

[Scott5114]

Many of the paywalled online newspapers are good. The problem is that they're paywalled.

I'm looking right at you, New York Times.

(I know many people would call them biased, and rightly so, but they do have good data journalism.)

Washington Post...

A full online WaPo subscription is ludicrously cheap if you have Amazon Prime (since Jeff Bezos owns both of them). They also make certain stories they consider important enough available for free to anyone.

[hbelkins]

Many of the paywalled online newspapers are good. The problem is that they're paywalled.

I'm looking right at you, New York Times.

(I know many people would call them biased, and rightly so, but they do have good data journalism.)

Washington Post...

A full online WaPo subscription is ludicrously cheap if you have Amazon Prime (since Jeff Bezos owns both of them). They also make certain stories they consider important enough available for free to anyone.

I get ads all the time to subscribe to the WaPo for a year for $1. But I wouldn't even pay that small amount for that rag.

[kphoger]

Now that I got the smartphone monkey off my back, I no longer have any desire to read a WaPo article anyway.  I just remember them and NYT having headlines that grabbed my attention.  You know, back then.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

[Avalanchez71]

Cable news/the internet are largely responsible for the drastic increase in polarization. The attitudes of the voters became more homogonized.

I am not sure if it is news that making folks think that way, I think it is the news portraying that is the way it is.

The opposite.  I am saying that they are making the reaction rather than reporting it.  News has become entertainment and opinion pieces rather than reporting the news.

If your argument is that the major media outlets are unbiased and uninterested at getting a reaction out of their audience, then good luck getting people to agree with you.

[webny99]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

I was amused that (1) they rated the Weather Channel and (2) it rated left of center

[hotdogPi]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

I was amused that (1) they rated the Weather Channel and (2) it rated left of center

Maybe it has to do with choosing which places to cover. For example, refusing to cover Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria (which I believe was not the case) would push it to the right.

[kkt]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

I was amused that (1) they rated the Weather Channel and (2) it rated left of center

Have you looked at the weather channel recently?  Web sources are much better at local weather forecasts so they don't spend a lot of time reporting the weather any more...

[Scott5114]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

I was amused that (1) they rated the Weather Channel and (2) it rated left of center

I would imagine that it has to do with the fact that the Weather Channel runs climate change stories.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart

This company analyzed the biases of various media sources. It seems pretty accurate based on my experience.

That is really interesting. There's a bunch of sources clustered slightly to the left of center, while there's a void slightly to the right of center. It actually makes sense: most sources are either part of the mainstream, or attacking the mainstream, and the latter inherently leads to a stronger bias.

I was amused that (1) they rated the Weather Channel and (2) it rated left of center

I would imagine that it has to do with the fact that the Weather Channel runs climate change stories.

So factually accurate scientific information is now left of center?

[kphoger]

So factually accurate scientific information is now left of center?

If that accurate scientific information is used primarily for the purposes of the Left and argued against primarily by the Right, then I can understand.

But, really, it was just ba-a-a-a-rely left of center on that chart.  It hardly damns it as Marxist propaganda.

[webny99]

I would imagine that it has to do with the fact that the Weather Channel runs climate change stories.

So factually accurate scientific information is now left of center?

Not necessarily. It probably has more to do with how it's framed.

[kphoger]

Being "right of center" or "left of center" is all relative anyway.  Where's the center?

[webny99]

Being "right of center" or "left of center" is all relative anyway.  Where's the center?

There is no center anymore, which is part of the problem.

[JayhawkCO]

Being "right of center" or "left of center" is all relative anyway.  Where's the center?

There is no center anymore, which is part of the problem.

The vast majority of Democrats in this country would be considered center-right in Europe.

Chris

[kphoger]

Being "right of center" or "left of center" is all relative anyway.  Where's the center?

There is no center anymore, which is part of the problem.

If there's a left and a right, then there has to be a center–or a middle, if you prefer.  That is to say, whether you put XYZ Media on the right or left of the line depends on where the line falls in the first place.

[Scott5114]

Center also changes over time, and can be dragged left and right by politicians over time. For instance, say you want, I dunno, minimum wage to be $15/hour. Easiest way to get it to happen is to very loudly repeatedly campaign for it to be $30/hour. Your opponents say that's ridiculous and favor keeping it at $7.25/hour. Guess what falls roughly in the center?