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Bias in Media Reporting

18 Jun 2012

Q. Overall, do you think media reporting is biased in favour or against the following groups?

 

Biased in favour

Biased against

Not biased

Don’t know

Net score

Business groups

27%

14%

29%

30%

+13

The Liberal Party

26%

22%

26%

26%

+4

Large corporations

26%

25%

23%

27%

+1

Environment groups

22%

25%

26%

27%

-3

The Greens

19%

27%

27%

27%

-8

Religious groups

14%

24%

32%

30%

-10

The Labor Party

18%

31%

26%

25%

-13

Unions

18%

32%

23%

26%

-14

Net score = bias in favour minus bias against.

Overall, respondents think that media reporting is biased in favour of business groups and biased against unions, the Labor Party and religious groups. They were evenly divided over whether media reporting is biased for or against the Liberal Party, large corporations, and environment groups.

Among Labor voters, 50% think the media are biased against the Labor Party and 43% think they are biased in favour of the Liberal Party.

Among Coalition voters, 34% think the media are biased against the Liberal Party and 29% think they are biased in favour of the Labor Party.

57% of Greens voters think the media are biased against the Greens.

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