Political Bias on BBC, CNN, and Fox News - Doria

4 The liberal-conservative divide in the United States
In order to analyze the news for political bias, it is necessary to understand certain
basic aspects of the political environment - that is, the politics of the U.S.. In the
U.S., Democrats and Republicans are generally viewed to represent, respectively, the
liberal and conservative ends of the political continuum (Grigsby 2009: 210, also
Arnold 2009: 3). Because these terms are vague yet essential when discussing
politics of the U.S., it is important to define them properly. Starting with the political
parties themselves, the ideological and political stances of a party are outlined in the
party platform (i.e. a document that discusses the various issues important to the
particular party). Within the party, there exist various opinions, but the party platform
is nevertheless considered the broader, overall view of most party candidates.
As regards the Democratic Party, one of the most important political talking points is
government responsibility to help those less fortunate by giving them more "power
and equality in their lives" (Grigsby 2009: 107). This is represented in their 2008
party platform in which Democrats express support for universal health care and
equal opportunities (e.g. in schooling and for women; Democrats 2008: i). As for
modern liberalism, its main argument can be summarized as follows: "state
regulations protecting health, education, workplace conditions, and generally
promoting the well-being of the less powerful sectors of society prevent exploitation
and the denial of (positive) liberty" (Grigsby 2009: 105, also Arnold 2009: 6). The
notion of equality is important on two accounts: modern liberals believe not only in
natural equality but also economic equality (Grigsby 2009: 105). The former sees
individuals as "born equally free and equally in possession of certain natural rights"
(ibid.: 99), while the latter, according to Democrats, should be ensured through
positive liberty. In other words, the government should provide a setting in which an
individual can realize her full potential and, thus, be free to achieve it. This, too, is
represented in the party platform through support for a progressive tax code, for
example (Democrats 2008: i). The parallels between the overall stance taken by the
Democratic Party and modern liberalism are clear, and issues such as the Democratic
stance on taxes will be further referred to during analysis.
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