Most reporters and editors are liberal — a now-dated Pew Research Center poll found that liberals outnumber conservatives in the media by some 5 to 1, and that comports with my own anecdotal experience at National Public Radio. When you are liberal, and everyone else around you is as well, it is easy to fall into groupthink on what stories are important, what sources are legitimate and what the narrative of the day will be.
This may seem like an unusual admission from someone who once ran NPR, but it is borne of recent experience. Spurred by a fear that red and blue America were drifting irrevocably apart, I decided to venture out from my overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhood and engage Republicans where they live, work and pray. For an entire year, I embedded myself with the other side, standing in pit row at a NASCAR race, hanging out at Tea Party meetings and sitting in on Steve Bannon’s radio show.
Related Coverage
AllSides Picks
The Insight: Americans’ trust in the news media is rising. What’s behind the shift?
AllSides Staff
October 2nd, 2026
News
Media Bias Alert: Missing Miscarriage Data, a Custody Dispute, and a Two-Year-Old’s Euthanasia
Malayna J. Bizier
September 28th, 2026
Headline Roundup
Trump Admin Begins Sending $500 ACA Refund Checks
October 1st, 2026
Headline Roundup
South Korea Pushes Back on Trump's $54B Alaska LNG Investment Claim
October 1st, 2026