Journalism attracts more liberals than conservatives
COMMENTARY
Liddy Serio

Upon first arriving at TCU, I was struck by the general conservative sentiment of students here. While different professors I have studied under have had decidedly different political views, it seemed as if a clear majority of the students I met were politically conservative.

Though TCU is less conservative than a university such as Baylor, where students are required to go to chapel, it is in no way a liberal institution. Who could forget last year, while anti-war protests were occurring, how the pro-America rally to support our troops in Iraq got a much larger turnout?

I cannot say I was surprised by this. The fact that TCU is in the South, as well as the fact that its high tuition draws students mostly from higher income brackets, are logical indicators of a conservative campus.

However, I was amazed by the number of liberals I found myself surrounded by in my journalism classes.
Working with the Skiff, as well as getting to know journalism professors and students, has only strengthened my belief that journalism is a field composed primarily of more liberally-minded people. I had to ask myself, “why was our journalism department markedly more liberal than the rest of our campus?” The answer may be, quite simply, that liberally-minded people tend to become journalists more than conservatives do.

This answer only seems to provoke more questions as to why journalism attracts more liberals than conservatives. I am unsure about the answer. For some reason, the act of being a journalist is one which apparently appeals more to people who have liberal political views. Perhaps this is because of a journalist’s tendency to always ask questions, to always push the envelope and to constantly challenge the norm.
These characteristics seem more conducive to the term “liberal” than the term “conservative.”

This is a logical explanation to the often-heard complaint that the media is liberally biased. Simply put, more journalists are liberal than are conservative, and it is practically impossible to report the news without slanting it to one’s personal views. Therefore, if more journalists are liberals, it is only natural that the news be reported liberally.

What upsets me most about this situation is the implication that conservatives do not become journalists because conservatives are by nature people who conform to social norms and reject changes. In political terms, I am a conservative, but I would like to think of myself as someone who questions and challenges social norms rather than simply accepting them, and I hope these are characteristics that will be embraced by more conservatives. It is completely possible for conservatives to maintain their views on matters such as government taxes and regulations without being stagnant. And it is precisely when conservatives stop being so “conservative” that journalists will become more politically diverse, and the liberal media bias will disappear.

Liddy Serio is a sophomore political science and broadcast journalism major from Colleyville.