Most people recognize that there is bias in the media, but MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp encourages students to look at politically balanced coverage in a slightly different way.

Cupp presented in Lecture Hall 14 Sunday. Her short lecture, which focused primarily on bias in the media, was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience

Cupp, a conservative voice on a predominantly liberal network, noted that bias appears from both sides of the aisle across a multitude of mediums.

“I worry that sometimes conservatives use this term ‘media bias’ as a way to complain, when in fact conservatives have a really great place in the media right now,” Cupp said.

Cupp pointed out that 25 years ago, there was no Fox News, and said the media was in fact dominated by liberals. Since then, conservatives have organized and started to take hold of media outlets like talk radio.

“I think it’s easy sometimes to say that conservatives don’t get a fair shake in the media because of media bias, and you’re not wrong, the media is a liberal place, but conservatives have a lot of opportunities in the media that liberals wish they had,” Cupp said.

Cupp encouraged attendees to view bias in terms of more nuanced biases that involve class, race, social issues and religion, especially in terms of the 2008 election.

“For the media, Obama’s faith was no one’s business, but Palin’s should be scrutinized like a rectal exam,” Cupp said.

When questioned about why she would so strongly defend people of faith, Cupp, an atheist, replied that she thinks the religious are given an “unfair shake” in the media, and though she herself does not believe in God, she thinks religion is ultimately beneficial for society.

“I think religion is incredibly important in politics, and when you’re judging a candidate, you should know as much about his faith and his beliefs as possible,” Cupp said.

In Cupp’s opinion, a large part of understanding media bias is knowing where to expect it and where to reject it, a distinction that is very important when looking at cable versus network news.

“The thing you have to remember is when network news does it [inserts bias], in the form of a report, that’s almost more dangerous than [when] an opinion maker just says something reckless and irresponsible,” Cupp said.

Cupp noted that everyone has a bias, and problems arise when a media outlet is dishonest with how they portray it.

“I think Fox and MSNBC are far less biased than CNN,” Cupp said. “Fox and MSNBC are a lot more honest about what they’re trying to do in their political points of view. CNN pretends it doesn’t have one. When they go out and inject their opinions into their reports, its a lot more sinister, because people who watch that think they’re getting the news version of C-SPAN … it’s a huge misunderstanding of what CNN does.”

According to Cupp, the Republican party has a lot of media work to do in order to avoid future electoral defeat.

“There is a good way to say anything, and a bad way to say everything. We keep choosing the bad way,” Cupp said. “There are not enough Fox viewers to win an election.”

Cupp outlined a process to revive the GOP and begin moving forward.

“One: let’s stop being assholes,” Cupp said.

She said conservatism needs to blend intellectual figures like Rand Paul with the emotional appeal of Marco Rubio’s personal story.

According to Cupp, conservatives must reach out to immigrants and bring them into the party by offering a way to live independently of the government that enables them to work and build their families, rather than portraying them as “moochers” who are only out to steal jobs.

Aaron Ricks, a senior majoring in political science, thought the talk was a beneficial addition to the political discourse on campus.

“I really thought it was a great event. She (SE Cupp) was more than willing to respond to questions from students and she seemed open to having a thoughtful conversation,” Ricks wrote in an email. “One thing I’ve always appreciated about her is that she’s genuinely looking to bridge gaps among liberals and conservatives and it showed at her event.”

The lecture was hosted by the Binghamton University College Republicans.