Networks Cover Liberal Bestsellers 2-1 Over Conservative
In a fishy and yet unsurprising move the liberal newspapers bestsellers list banished David Limbaugh’s new book, “Jesus on Trial,” from it’s well-earned place on their list. The book should sit at this week’s number four spot, having sold “9,660 in its first week out … Instead, Henry Kissinger’s World Order, praised by Hillary Clinton in the Washington Post, is No. 4 despite weekly sales of 6,607.” In direct correlation, you haven’t seen David Limbaugh interviewed about his book on any major network either.
But a berth on the New York Time’s bestsellers list doesn’t guarantee conservative authors and books the attention of the wider media. CMI addressed this issue of imbalanced favoritism towards liberal bestsellers by the media networks in a 2009 special report titled Unmentionable: Best-Selling Conservative Books and the Networks that Ignore Them. The report found that, “Since the 1940s, authors whose works make the list have been assured of even more books sales and a shower of publicity. But not when those authors or their books are conservative. In such cases, the three broadcast networks greeted them with silence at worst and skepticism at best.” The networks covered liberal books three times as often as conservative works. Spoiler alert: Not much has changed.
In 2014, between January and September there have been twenty conservative authors, a few with more than one title, making the bestseller list compared to just eight liberal authors who have made the list. The conservative authors have also enjoyed the spotlight for three times longer than the liberals. On average a book penned by a conservative has remained in the Top 15 for twelve weeks; a liberal title for an average of just four weeks. The numbers clearly show that public attention and interest favors the conservative although you would never know it based on who the major news networks gives attention to and whose books they choose to promote or ignore.
NBC, CBS and ABC have hosted five out of the eight liberal authors a respectable 62.5 percent, who have appeared on the New York Time’s bestselling list; majority of which only held a spot in the Top 15 for just one week- a combined total of just 26 weeks.
In comparison those same networks interviewed just six out of the twenty conservative authors, a pathetic 30 percent. Their books remained on the list for an average of nine weeks – a combined total of 55 weeks. Based on media attention one would think the numbers were reversed. And yet liberal media would have you believe they’re not biased.
Most people probably don’t have the New York Time’s Best Sellers list saved to favorites to be accessed weekly, at least not compared to the number of people who watch ABC’s “Good Morning America,” NBC’s “Today” and/or CBS’ “This Morning” –shows that interview the bestselling authors most frequently. But the shows act as gatekeepers, rarely allowing conservative books – and the ideas and perspectives they contain – broad public exposure.
Books Studied:
Things That Matter- Charles Krauthammer
America- Dinesh D’Souza
One Nation- Ben Carson
UnPHILtered- Phil Robertson
The Way Forward- Paul Ryan
Blood Feud- Edward Klein
Killing Jesus- Bill O’Reilly
Clinton, Inc.- Daniel Halper
Special Heart- Bret Baier
Good Call- Jase Robertson
10% Happier- Dan Harris
Big Tent- Mallory Factor
The Women of Duck Commander- Kay Robertson
Not Cool- Greg Gutfeld
Duty- Robert M. Gates
My Age of Anxiety- Scott Stossel
The Loudest Voice in the Room- Gabriel Sherman
Miracles & Massacres- Glenn Beck
Happy, Happy, Happy- Phil Robertson
Si-Cology- Si Robertson
Killing Kennedy- Bill O’Reilly
Jesus on Trial- David Limbaugh
Off the Sidelines- Kirsten Gillibrand
Waking Up- Sam Harris
Diary of a Mad Diva- Joan Rivers
The Teacher Wars- Dana Goldstein
Hard Choices- Hillary Rodham Clinton
A Fighting Chance- Elizabeth Warren
Six Amendments- John Paul Stevens
HRC- Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes
