Another great graph

This is from a report by Media Matters, called "Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in Major News Media" The bars show the number of quotes/interviews/mentions in major newpapers of a selection of conservative and progressive religious leader. The picture really says it all. Red bars are conservative leaders, blue bars are progressive leaders. There are several graphs like this in the report that are broken down (only quotes, only interviews, TV, etc), but this one is representative.

Here are some key findings:

• Combining newspapers and television, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed in news stories 2.8 times as often as were progressive religious leaders.
• On television news -- the three major television networks, the three major cable news channels, and PBS -- conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed almost 3.8 times as often as progressive leaders.
• In major newspapers, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed 2.7 times as often as progressive leaders.

Why is this important? From the executive summary of the report:

"As in many areas, the decisions journalists make when deciding which voices to include in their stories have serious consequences. What is the picture of religious opinion? Who is a religious leader? Whose views represent important groups of believers? Every time a journalist writes a story, he or she answers these questions by deciding whom to quote and how to characterize their views."

Check out the report. Spread the word! And sign the petition to protect religious liberty for all (even non-believers) by safeguarding the separation of church and state at First Freedom First.