Making journalism political again

Drawing from his forthcoming book Making the Liberal Media: How Conservatives Built a Movement Against the Press (Columbia, 2026), A.J. contends that bias discourse—attempts to theoretically or empirically prove or disprove media bias—relies on an unwarranted faith in exposure. Bias claims assert that political disagreement is fundamentally an epistemological problem—that if only people had “the facts” they would see the world, and share the political interests, of the claimant.

While the idea of “liberal media” bias has played a central role in modern conservative movement strategy and identity formation, progressive and journalistic attempts to respond have too often failed by accepting the claim’s core premise.

What would it look like to reject bias discourse outright? Instead of endlessly debating the ideological and normative slants of various media, what if we saw bias for what it is—an acknowledgment of ideological disagreement, and an invitation into a distinct practice of worldbuilding?

No need to book in advance, just turn up!

Related links

• Thomas Coram Research Unit (TCRU)
• TCRU seminar series
• Social Research Institute

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Pixabay.