From the co-author of the excellent Yes, Minister television series and a former BBC producer is an article discussing the mainstream media's ideology, its sources and ramifications. An abridged version of a longer study, it is discussed here.
Ideology is a pervasive influence on all that we do. Many have no idea where their ideology comes from or what characterizes their perspective on life: its just the way they think. Ask them "why would you say that?" and most people are vague, elusive and finally resort to "well doesn't everyone know that?" or "its all over the news" as a justification.
The role of ideology in the media is a foundational construct to understanding so much of public policy, especially environmentalism. Most people know what they know because it is what they are taught in school and its what is in the media. Is the media ever going to be unbiased and free of ideology? No, and I don't know if that is even desirable: but what is needed is a greater recognition of the fact that all media, and not just the extreme right or the extreme left, is heavily biased by its ideology. And the dominant ideology of the BBC (and I will extend that perspective to the CBC and the mainstream US media) has a significantly anti-free market, anti-capitalist and anti-individualist bias to it that tempers all stories and how they are reported, especially politics.
