The term "liberal media" was made popular by right-wing Republicans in the 1980s. It was created to establish an evil enemy for the newly-conservative Baby Boomer generation.
By the 1980s the anti-establishment generation had discovered conservative ideology and were more interested in driving BMWs and having nice homes than saving the planet and pushing for equality. As Boomers moved to the suburbs across America, conservative ideology and the idea of individual problem-solving was more congruent with their lifestyle than the liberal mentality of the city which leaned more toward collective problem-solving and looking to the government for answers.
In the 80s Boomers were the largest segment of the U.S. population and defined every era they occupied. When Boomers turned more conservative as a group, they made conservatism the mass appeal ideology.
The opportunity for radio stations to turn to all conservative programming was created when the Fairness Doctrine was abolished under the Reagan Administration in 1987. The Fairness Doctrine obligated radio and TV stations to present all political and controversial issues with a balanced debate where both sides had equal representation. The end of the Fairness Doctrine allowed radio and TV stations to promote a political ideology without requiring equal time for the opposing view.
Responding to the Boomer generation embracing conservative ideology, radio stations turned to all conservative programming. This is the time when Rush Limbaugh began to gain national attention. Finally - there was an answer to the "liberal media."
Conservative talk radio, the weapon to fight the "liberal media," exploded across the nation. Of America's 15,000 radio stations that reach 80 to 90% of the population - a 2007 report from the Center for American Progress determined that 91% of the political news/talk stations were blatantly promoting conservative candidates and conservative issues.
At one time, the media was populated by more liberals than conservatives simply because individuals graduating from college who went into journalism and news were more likely to be liberal-minded. Those who were conservative-minded tended to enter the business world where it was easier to make more money.
In addition to abolishing the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, there was another event that further led to the establishment of conservative media. In 1996, when Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate the Telecommunications Act was passed, which removed the limit on the number of radio stations a corporation could own. This meant more consolidation of radio stations by corporate America and that meant that conservative executives had more platforms to promote conservative ideology.
Newspapers were not the "liberal media," because according to a Boston University sampling of the top newspapers - 16 were liberal and 23 were conservative based on editorial endorsements from the 2012 presidential race.
The #1 newspaper in the country is The Wall Street Journal. The WSJ has a circulation more than double the #2 newspaper which is the New York Times. Corporate consolidation of newspapers created even more equality for the conservative media.
Social media is rife with conservative talk, and since bloggers and influencers and those who post on social media are not accountable to an editor or news director - conservative social media became an outlet for lies, bizarre stories, and conspiracy theories that had zero foundation in the truth. Yet many people believe and share the lies and ridiculous stories because they want it to be true.
The truth about the "liberal media" will not change many minds. Especially not those who don't want the truth - it is for the many who have an open mind and are interested in legitimate information that demonstrates that the strategy of conjuring up fear of the "liberal media" is - indeed - not reality in 2023.
And this should be great news for all of those Americans who think that conservatives are victims and don't have an equal voice in the media.
