Conservative leaning op-ed pages

[Dick Whitman]

Was having this discussion with a (non-journo) friend tonight, who said that there are "no conservative newspapers."

Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune come to mind as the most prominent.

What others?

 

[BrianGriffin]

Washington Times, New York Post, The Oklahoman

 

[YankeeFan]

From 2001-2005, the New York Daily News' Editorial Page Editor was Richard Schwartz, the former Senior Policy Advisor to Rudy Giuliani:

http://www.sourcecommunications.net/bios.html

A leading expert on public policy, Schwartz previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In that role he was the architect of the city’s landmark welfare reform – which President Clinton later used as the model for the national welfare reform. With former Yale University President Benno Schmidt, Schwartz was a co-author of the Schmidt Commission Report, which helped guide the City University of New York’s (CUNY) extraordinary six-year turnaround. He also supervised the city’s $5 billion-a-year capital construction system, which he consolidated into a single agency (the Department of Design and Construction). He also wrote and helped implement the quality-of-life plan for New York City. As part of that effort, he oversaw the city’s wide-ranging and successful efforts to clean up its streets, parks and highways.

I haven't read them in a while, but for a time, they were nearly as conservative in their editorials as the Post.

 

[Greenhorn]

Boston Herald, Tampa Tribune, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dallas Morning News, Arizona Republic, NH Union-Leader, San Diego Union-Tribune, SF Express, Columbus Dispatch......

 

[crimsonace]

The Indianapolis Star used to fit into this camp, but it's probably more solidly middle-of-the-road now. Used to be the only time you ever saw a left-of-center voice was on the op-ed page, now the paper routinely runs left and right-leaning columnists and has endorsed as many Ds as Rs in recent years.

 

[ColdCat]

the bi-weekly rag in the town where I grew up was further to the right than FOX News. Their op-ed page consisted of bad lawyer jokes, calling Republican officials too liberal and calling for Democrats to be tried for treason. They took bold stands against such things as psychic activity and a woman posing as a fortune teller at our Arabian Nights themed prom.
I was more than happy to move out of that place

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Traditionally, the Manchester Union-Leader in New Hampshire has been conservative. I don't know if it still is.

 

[Alma]

There are tons. It's an utter myth that most papers lean liberal. Anything under, oh, 30,000 circ is more likely to lean the other way.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think there are a lot of papers that are very liberal in how things are covered, but they still have conservative-leaning op-ed pages.

I worked at a paper where the managing editor screamed at the TV set during the 2000 recount and the executive editor was a regular at fundraisers for all of the local democratic congressmen and senators.

The op-ed page was still very conservative.

 

[YankeeFan]

There are tons. It's an utter myth that most papers lean liberal. Anything under, oh, 30,000 circ is more likely to lean the other way.

Yeah, if you look at Presidential endorsements, the Republican candidate always has a ton.

The small town papers often endorse the Republican. Most of the big city papers -- with some exceptions noted here -- go with the Democrat.

 

[Stitch]

I think there are a lot of papers that are very liberal in how things are covered, but they still have conservative-leaning op-ed pages.

I worked at a paper where the managing editor screamed at the TV set during the 2000 recount and the executive editor was a regular at fundraisers for all of the local democratic congressmen and senators.

The op-ed page was still very conservative.

Reporters generally are liberal because they want to change things. Conservative, by definition, means you are resistant to change and seek to uphold tradition. Being a news reporter and seeking to maintain the status quo don't go together.

As for the op-ed pages, the small or mid-sized publisher doesn't want to tick of the local business community, so op-ed pages are conservative. Big city papers have enough of a market where it doesn't matter if you tick off a few business owners.

 

[Big Circus]

A paper near and dear to many on this board, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, leans pretty solidly right. As does its nearby Media General buddy, The Daily Progress in Charlottesville.

 

[SF_Express]

Boston Herald, Tampa Tribune, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dallas Morning News, Arizona Republic, NH Union-Leader, San Diego Union-Tribune, SF Express, Columbus Dispatch......

For the record, were I a newspaper, I'd be pretty moderate, more liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal ones.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Boston Herald, Tampa Tribune, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dallas Morning News, Arizona Republic, NH Union-Leader, San Diego Union-Tribune, SF Express, Columbus Dispatch......

For the record, were I a newspaper, I'd be pretty moderate, more liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal ones.

This makes me think of a "30 Rock" line once where one of the characters said matter-of-factly, "I'm a social conservative and a fiscal liberal." It was just funny because so many feel the way you feel that it was funny to hear it the other way.

 

[Big Circus]

That was Tracy, right? In an interview?

 

[Greenhorn]

That was Tracy, right? In an interview?

It was Liz Lemon's hilariously awful on-again-off-again boyfriend Dennis Duffy when asked by Jack how he would describe himself politically.

 

[Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L)]

So in general - if a paper is making money it tends to lean Republican and if it is bleeding red ink it is solid Democratic.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Big Circus]

That was Tracy, right? In an interview?

It was Liz Lemon's hilariously awful on-again-off-again boyfriend Dennis Duffy when asked by Jack how he would describe himself politically.

DAMMIT. I am filled with shame.

And Chris, where on earth do you get that from? What papers on that list are making money? Not the three Media General ones listed, I can tell you that.

 

[Greenhorn]

That was Tracy, right? In an interview?

It was Liz Lemon's hilariously awful on-again-off-again boyfriend Dennis Duffy when asked by Jack how he would describe himself politically.

DAMMIT. I am filled with shame.

And Chris, where on earth do you get that from? What papers on that list are making money? Not the three Media General ones listed, I can tell you that.

Ah, don't beat yourself up over it.

So in general - if a paper is making money it tends to lean Republican and if it is bleeding red ink it is solid Democratic.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

Plenty of conservative papers folded eons ago like the Nashville Banner.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Never worked for a publisher who wasn't solidly conservative.