Only 3.4% of US journalists identify as Republicans, fewest ever

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

IF THE LANDSCAPE IN THE JOURNALISM WORLD SEEMS TO LEAN LEFT–

IT’S NOT YOUR IMAGINATION.

FEWER JOURNALISTS’ THAN EVER SAY THEY’RE REPUBLICANS.

TEN TIMES AS MANY IDENTIFY AS DEMOCRATS.

THE STUDY FROM “SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY’S NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS” POLLED 16-HUNDRED JOURNALISTS.

JUST 3-POINT4 PERCENT IDENTIFIED AS REPUBLICAN.

MORE THAN 36 PERCENT SAID THEY’RE  DEMOCRATS–

THE MAJORITY, 51 PERCENT, SAID THEY’RE INDEPENDENT.

THE NUMBERS ARE A DRASTIC CHANGE FROM 50 YEARS AGO–

WHEN THE POLL FIRST STARTED.

IN 19-71–

A QUARTER OF JOURNALISTS WERE REPUBLICANS, AND A THIRD WERE INDEPENDENTS.

THE SHARE OF DEMOCRATS WAS SIMILAR TO TODAY, HOVERING AROUND 36 PERCENT

THE NUMBERS HAVE BOUNCED AROUND OVER THE DECADES–

DEMOCRATS REACHED A PEAK IN THE JOURNALISM INDUSTRY–

AT 44 PERCENT IN 19-92.

BUT OVER THE LAST TWENTY  YEARS–

REPUBLICANS IN MEDIA HAVE STEADILY DECLINED.

IN 2002, 18 PERCENT OF JOURNALISTS WERE REPUBLICANS.

IN 20-13–

SEVEN  PERCENT WERE REPUBLICANS.

DOWN TO 3 PERCENT TODAY.

WHILE REPUBLICANS IN THE INDUSTRY DECLINED –

THE REPRESENTATION OF DEMOCRATS GREW.

THE MAKE-UP OF THE MEDIA INDUSTRY IS **NOT IN STEP WITH THE U.S. GENERAL POPULATION –

A GALLUP POLL IN NOVEMBER, REVEALED THE PLURALITY OF AMERICANS, 40 PERCENT, IDENTIFY AS INDEPENDENT.

AND REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ARE EVEN–

AT 29 PERCENT.

SO WHY DO REPUBLICANS FIND THEMSELVES TRENDING TOWARDS THE EXTINCT CATEGORY IN NEWS CAREERS?

DAVID BROOKS, OF THE NEW YORK TIMES, WRITES:

“WHEN I BEGAN MY CAREER IN CHICAGO IN THE 1980S, THERE WERE STILL SOME CRUSTY WORKING-CLASS GUYS AROUND THE NEWSROOM. NOW WE’RE NOT ONLY A COLLEGE-DOMINATED PROFESSION, WE’RE AN ELITE COLLEGE-DOMINATED PROFESSION.”

THE ASSESSMENT BY BROOKS MAY JIVE WITH DATA.

A 20-16 PEW STUDY FOUND EDUCATED ADULTS–

ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ATTENDED GRADUATE SCHOOL–

ARE FAR MORE LIKELY THAN THOSE WITH LESS EDUCATION–

TO TAKE LIBERAL POSITIONS.

AND IF NEWSROOMS ARE GETTING YOUNGER–

IT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT JOURNALISTS ARE LEANING MORE LIBERAL, TOO.

WHILE JOURNALISTS DO HAVE **OPINIONS AND **POLITICAL PREFERENCES –

IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO COME ACROSS IN THEIR WORK.

BUT – THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS SAY BIAS IN THE MEDIA IS GETTING WORSE.

A RASMUSSEN POLL SHOWS 58 PERCENT OF VOTERS OVERALL SAY MEDIA BIAS IS WORSE OFF TODAY THAN YEARS PAST.

BUT CONFIDENCE IN MEDIA ALSO WIDELY VARIES AMONG PARTY AFFILIATION.

58 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS AND 29 PERCENT OF INDEPENDENTS–

HAVE A “GREAT DEAL” OR “FAIR AMOUNT” OF CONFIDENCE IN THE MEDIA–

WHILE JUST 11 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS TRUST THE MEDIA WHICH – ACCORDING TO THIS LATEST POLL –

IS LARGELY REPRESENTED BY JOURNALISTS WHO IDENTIFY AS DEMOCRATS.