by Liz Swasey
Overview
In 1992, the Freedom Forum commissioned two Indiana University professors to survey journalists about their political affiliations. They interviewed more than 1,410 journalists and found the percentage identifying themselves as liberals had grown since the first such poll in 1971, which found a 38-25 percent tilt toward the Democratic side. The results were published in the MRC's December 1992 MediaWatch.
Key Findings
• 44 percent of journalists identified themselves as Democrats, compared to only 16 percent who tagged themselves as Republican.
• Journalists are 5 to 10 percentage points more likely to be Democrats than the general population and 10 to 15 points less likely to be Republicans.
• The study authors found “minorities are much more likely to call themselves Democrats than are white journalists, especially blacks (70 percent), Asians (63 percent) and Hispanics (59 percent).”
• Women journalists (58 percent) are much more likely than men (38 percent) to prefer the Democratic Party.
(This update courtesy of the Media Research Center.)
