Media Bias: 1963-1980

The press loved Massachusetts aristocrat John Kennedy. When he died and was replaced by a (gasp) Texan, it was yet another politician without the right pedigree. As a Texan, Johnson was another outsider. He was a pretender to the throne and a vulgar man. He had a ranch. LBJ was everything the press hated. They turned on him the first chance they had. The press even printed pictures of LBJ holding his dog up by its ears. It reaffirmed their image of Johnson as a vile and uncultured man. In 1964, the press pulled for the Republican Rockefeller. However, the GOP nominated Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was worse than Johnson, so they went after him with full fury. Goldwater lost and then the press went back to criticizing Johnson. When Georgetown burned during the urban uprisings, someone told LBJ that Georgetown was on fire. Many press insiders lived there. Johnson's responded "I've waited 35 years to hear that!" The press helped drive him from office.

They also helped drive Richard Nixon from office. Had Nixon been an insider, they would have ignored Watergate. But, Nixon defeated good establishment liberals in his run for the house, the senate, and the presidency. He also brought down Alger Hiss. What drove them the craziest was his use of media to get his message across. Whether it was the “Silent Majority” speech or the trip to China, Nixon used the press images for favorable coverage while reporters seethed. The press never forgave him for that.

Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, came from Michigan. He even graduated from the University of Michigan. The press accepted him at first, but quickly went after him. Ford pardoned Nixon to get Watergate behind the country. The press began to work to undermine his presidency. They portrayed Ford as dimwitted and clumsy. Press coverage of Gerald Ford can be summed up with the headline: Ford to City: Drop Dead.

The press sided with Ford’s opponent, Jimmy Carter, in 1976. Carter was not Nixon. He was also a feel good story. The press played up Carter and attacked Ford (Ford did help doom himself with a debate gaffe). Carter made some silly mistakes in the press when he admitted he lusted in his eyes, saw a UFO, and by claiming to have been attacked by a killer rabbit (not making this up). Carter’s novelty disappeared quickly. The press enjoyed making Carter’s brother look like a fool. When all was said and done, Carter was another outsider. He was from Georgia. The press hoped he’d be one of them, but he wasn’t. The press did not rally to him until Ronald Reagan became the Republican Nominee.

The New Right scared the press. They were the ultimate outsiders. These Goldwater-ites were everything the press was not. They were not East Coast. They were not Ivy League. They were not Elites. They distrusted government. They distrusted power. They distrusted liberalism. The press pumped the candidacy of George H.W. Bush. Bush failed. Reagan won the GOP nod. They attacked Reagan as dumb, unsophisticated, and simple. They claimed he’d start World War III and civilization would end with a Reagan Presidency. The press went nuts. Then, Reagan won. The Reagan Revolution changed the dynamic. The press changed its tone and went after Republicans and gave Democrats a free ride. The GOP epicenter was no longer the East Coast. It had moved to the heartland while the Democratic epicenter remained elitist. The press sided with the East Coast while the GOP sided with the heartland and the blue collar voter.