5 ms·

I remember when CNN launched. News all day was a novelty; no other TV network was like it. I was a kid, but it did seem to me to be much more conservative (in t

I remember when CNN launched. News all day was a novelty; no other TV network was like it. I was a kid, but it did seem to me to be much more conservative (in the sense of not overtly sensational) and "straight" news at the time. I guess today's CNN and their much more pronounced left-wing orientation is just a response to the right-leaning stuff from Fox? Or it just seems more left-wing now in comparison.

zrobotics 8y ago
I think it is partly a reflection of increasing polarization in society. That, and even if journalists are actively attempting to avoid bias the faster news cycle simply leaves them less time for polish. Thus, more and more stories are the equivalent of first or second drafts.
hunter2_ 8y ago
Probably the latter: neutral, unbiased, centrist viewpoints are now given -- by folks throughout the entire spectrum -- a "left" label.
- eli_gottlieb 8y ago
  Yeah, I've never heard CNN call for seizing the means of production or soaking the rich in taxes.
- refurb 8y ago
  Neutral and unbiased certainly don't describe CNN. As the OP said, a decade ago you could make that claim. They were much more "news". Now their rating have been in the toilet for years, so they've gone to extremes to gain viewership.
mrguyorama 8y ago
CNN mostly only seems "left wing" because America's Overton Window is so far to the right
mrlala 8y ago
I honestly find CNN to be fairly in the middle. Sure it's a little left leaning- but it's minimal. If it looks very "left leaning" now that's because of the reality of how terrible Trump is for the world. But they still give him credit when credit is due. They aren't taking democrats sides all the time by any means. They don't tack up headlines right away that aren't substantiated. There is a minimal of sensationalized headlines. They will clearly have links to opinion pieces which lean way right. What I actually like to do is if I see something that is supposed to be "big news" on reddit or such, I'll go to cnn. Lots of times, I would see nothing for hours about this "massive breaking news". And sometimes I will see it right away. It's a pretty good barometer to see how important something really is. Anyway, I don't actually watch cnn much but from their website and clips I see, I think it's pretty fair. Especially compared to something like foxnews which is ludicrously biased.

zrobotics 8y ago

I think it is partly a reflection of increasing polarization in society. That, and even if journalists are actively attempting to avoid bias the faster news cycle simply leaves them less time for polish. Thus, more and more stories are the equivalent of first or second drafts.

hunter2_ 8y ago

Probably the latter: neutral, unbiased, centrist viewpoints are now given -- by folks throughout the entire spectrum -- a "left" label.

eli_gottlieb 8y ago
Yeah, I've never heard CNN call for seizing the means of production or soaking the rich in taxes.
refurb 8y ago
Neutral and unbiased certainly don't describe CNN. As the OP said, a decade ago you could make that claim. They were much more "news". Now their rating have been in the toilet for years, so they've gone to extremes to gain viewership.

mrguyorama 8y ago

CNN mostly only seems "left wing" because America's Overton Window is so far to the right

mrlala 8y ago

I honestly find CNN to be fairly in the middle. Sure it's a little left leaning- but it's minimal. If it looks very "left leaning" now that's because of the reality of how terrible Trump is for the world. But they still give him credit when credit is due. They aren't taking democrats sides all the time by any means. They don't tack up headlines right away that aren't substantiated. There is a minimal of sensationalized headlines. They will clearly have links to opinion pieces which lean way right. What I actually like to do is if I see something that is supposed to be "big news" on reddit or such, I'll go to cnn. Lots of times, I would see nothing for hours about this "massive breaking news". And sometimes I will see it right away. It's a pretty good barometer to see how important something really is. Anyway, I don't actually watch cnn much but from their website and clips I see, I think it's pretty fair. Especially compared to something like foxnews which is ludicrously biased.