C-SPAN

==Public and media opinion==
A 2009 C-SPAN survey of viewers found that the network's most-valued attribute was its balanced programming. The survey's respondents were a mixed group, with 31% describing themselves as "[[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]]", while 28% described themselves as "[[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]", and the survey found that C-SPAN viewers are an equal mixture of men and women of all age groups.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

C-SPAN's public service nature has been praised as an enduring contribution to national knowledge.<ref name=Osnos>{{cite news |title=Washington's longest-running reality show |first=Peter |last=Osnos |author-link=Peter Osnos |newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=March 31, 2009 |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-31/washingtons-longest-running-reality-show/ |access-date=February 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328014904/http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-31/washingtons-longest-running-reality-show |archive-date=March 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1987, [[Andrew Rosenthal]] wrote for ''[[The New York Times]]'' about C-SPAN's influence in political elections, arguing that C-SPAN's "blanket coverage" had expanded television journalism "into areas once shielded from general view".<ref name=Rosenthal87>{{cite news |title=C-SPAN's Spotlight Brings Quiet Corners of Campaigning into View |first=Andrew|last=Rosenthal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/22/us/c-span-s-spotlight-brings-quiet-corners-of-campaigning-into-view.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 22, 1987 |access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> The network has received positive media coverage for providing public access to proceedings such as the [[Goldman Sachs]] Senate hearings,<ref name=Zurawik>{{cite web |url=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/zontv/2010/04/senate_hearings_goldman_sachs.html |title=Goldman Sachs hearings: C-SPAN delivers again |first=David|last=Zurawik |date=April 27, 2010 |work=baltimoresun.com |department=Z on TV |publisher=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> and the U.S. 2010 Healthcare Summit,<ref name=Heffernan>{{cite web |url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/endorsement/healthcare-summit-live-cspan-022510#ixzz17XTwfw43 |title=C-SPAN: Where Health Care (and Everything Else) Gets Debated Daily |first=Tim|last=Heffernan |date=February 25, 2010 |work=esquire.com |department=The Daily Endorsement |publisher=[[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Communications]] |access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> while its everyday programming has been credited with providing the media and the general public with an intimate knowledge of U.S. political proceedings and people.<ref name=Heffernan/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://qanda.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1054 |title=Randi Rhodes |date=December 18, 2005 |work=qanda.org |publisher=C-SPAN |access-date=December 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720131511/http://qanda.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1054 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=Corn>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenation.com/blog/156075/happy-birthday-c-span |title=Happy Birthday, C-SPAN! |author=[[David Corn]] |date=March 11, 2004 |work=thenation.com |publisher=[[The Nation]] |department=Capital Games |access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> The ability of C-SPAN to provide this service without federal funding, advertising or soliciting viewer contributions has been remarked by local newspapers and online news services, with the ''[[Daily Beast]]'' terming C-SPAN's $55&nbsp;million annual budget (in 2009), "an astounding bargain."<ref name=Osnos/><ref>{{cite news |title=It's a fittingly quiet birthday for C-SPAN |first=John|last=Rash |newspaper=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] |date=March 20, 2009 |url=http://www.startribune.com/opinion/41533482.html??elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ
|access-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref> In an article on the 25th anniversary of the network, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted that C-SPAN's programming has been copied by television networks worldwide and credits the network with providing information about foreign politics to American viewers.<ref name=Reid>{{cite news |title=C-SPAN Gauged 25 Years After Start |author=[[T.R. Reid]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=875&dat=20040321&id=i249AAAAIBAJ&pg=2777,5936560 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 18, 2004 |page=A21 |access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> According to ''The New York Times'', C-SPAN's mission to record official events in Washington, D.C., makes it "one of a kind", particularly in the creation of the C-SPAN Video Library, which received significant press coverage.<ref name=Stelter/><ref name=Reynolds/>

Despite its stated commitment to providing politically balanced programming, C-SPAN and its shows such as ''Washington Journal'', ''Booknotes'', ''Q & A'', and ''After Words'' have been accused by some liberal organizations of having a conservative bias.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/1207_cspan.pdf  |title=Tilting Rightward: C-SPAN's Coverage of Think Tanks |first=Juan|last=Montecino |author2=Mark Weisbrot |date=December 2007 |work=cepr.net |publisher=[[Center for Economic and Policy Research]] |access-date=May 22, 2013}}</ref> In 2005, the media criticism organization [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] (FAIR) released a study of C-SPAN's morning telephone call-in show ''Washington Journal''. In their six-month sample of guests, they identified 32 as "right-of-center" and 19 as "left-of-center"; they also noted [[people of color]] are underrepresented at 15% of the guest list.<ref name=Fair05>{{cite web |url=http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/c-span-slanting-right/ |title=C-SPAN Slanting Right |date=December 19, 2005 |work=fair.org |publisher=[[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] |access-date=June 5, 2013}}</ref> A 2007 survey released by the think tank [[Center for Economic and Policy Research]] reported that C-SPAN covered conservative [[think tank]]s more than left-of-center think tanks.<ref name=Harper07>{{cite news |title=Tanks numbers |first=Jennifer|last=Harper |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=4RD4-12M0-TWCW-40BD&csi=8176&oc=00240&perma=true |newspaper=[[The Washington Times]] |date=December 20, 2007 |access-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref>