Washington Post Is Biased In Favor of Gay Marriage, Says Watchdog

Reporters downplay voices of opponents

The Washington Post's coverage of gay marriage openly sides with supporters. That's not coming from a conservative but the paper's own ombudsman.

Patrick Pexton draws this conclusion from an email exchange between a conservative reader and a Post reporter, neither of whom he identifies. He quotes the reporter saying, "Should the media make room for racists, i.e. those people who believe that black people shouldn't marry white people? Any story on African-Americans wouldn't be wholly accurate without the opinion of a racist, right?"

Pexton says of these comments, "Many journalists have a hard time giving much voice to those opposed to gay marriage. They see people opposed to gay rights today as cousins, perhaps distant cousins, of people in the 1950s and 1960s who, citing God and the Bible, opposed black people sitting in the bus seat, or dining at the lunch counter, of their choosing."

The ombudsman concludes, "The Post should do a better job of understanding and conveying to readers, with detachment and objectivity, the beliefs and the fears of social conservatives."

Via The Washington Post.

Is media coverage of the gay marriage issue generally fair and balanced?

[AntiPorcheria]

Then Don't Read The Damned Thing. Jesus Murphy you would think this was Rocket Surgery.

[armed_liberal]

And surprise! Fox News is biased against same sex marriage. It's a topic that people feel strongly about and have trouble being unbiased.

[RoFroh]

@armed_liberal
And MSNBC is just as biased the other way.

[Tralee]

@armed_liberal LOL - really, got any facts to back that statement up or are you just going to fall back on the boring and old "Faux News" rhetoric of the left? Just askin'.

[armed_liberal]

@Tralee
Google it... You will find several recent examples from Peter Johnson to Fox and Friends reactions. Oh.. You probably think Google is Left Wing based.

[Zazziness]

@Tralee Until they saw the polls that show a majority of U.S. citizens support equal rights, they were against it. Now Fox is "for" same-sex marriage except for some confusion from those who didn't get the memo. But better late than never.
"Fox's muted criticism of Obama's support for marriage equality is a far cry from how the network has typically dealt with the issue of same-sex marriage. Less than a year ago, Fox Nation described Obama's support for marriage equality as a declaration of 'WAR ON MARRIAGE.' And Fox's Bill O'Reilly has a long history of warning that same-sex marriage would lead to marriage with ducks, turtles, and dolphins."
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/01/25/has-f...

[Hoosierdaddy]

Being right isn't fair or balanced it just is

[PNWest]

Great comment.

[NTBFW]

You are correct sir. Now you understand my opinion on anything that is a threat to the constitution. Any part of it. When you are right you stand your ground.

[ErnestPayne]

Depends entirely on the media. The lower the mental capacity of its viewers or readers the greater the bigotry. Apparently the Washington Post is in favour of equality. A heinous crime amongst the drooling mouth breathers.

[Zazziness]

I think the reported was right. Do we have to have a statement from the KKK every time there is a pro-civil rights author speaking? I don't think so.

[Robbo03712]

I find it interesting that these dually elected reps aren't inundated with hate speech and called kkk supporters
Rep. Joe Donnelly, running for Senate against Republican Richard Mourdock in Indiana, flatly rejected the president's view. The Associated Press reported Thursday that Donnelly affirmed his position that marriage only exists between a man and a woman and did not feel pressured to change that view in light of Obama's conversion.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who was elected in 2006 and now faces uncertain reelection prospects, also split from the president. Tester "supports civil unions for committed same-sex couples, but in Montana, marriage is between one man and one woman," spokeswoman Andrea Helling told Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

The campaign of Heidi Heitkamp, the Democratic Senate candidate in North Dakota did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Two other candidates walked a narrow line of supporting Obama without fully agreeing with him.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, running a tough reelection race against the winner of a three-way Republican primary, deferred to the president without endorsing his view. "Claire recognizes this is a very personal issue for many Missourians," Senate spokesman John LaBombard told the Springfield News-Leader, adding that McCaskill believes states should "take the lead in determining marriage equality. " The state of Missouri's position on this issue has been clearly established since 2004 and nothing about today's announcement changes that." Missouri voters backed a gay-marriage ban 71 percent to 29 percent in August 2004.

Virginia's Tim Kaine, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and Obama loyalist, seems to hold the view Obama did before the president announced his shift on Wednesday.

[martydotcom]

Every newspaper has an editorial policy!. Another piercing glimpse in the obvious, The Wall Street Journal has a Conservative editorial policy. Whatever happened to the concept that the reader maybe be able to discern fact from opinion and formulate their own conclusion?

[Bobolinsky]

"Pravda on the Potomac" is biased towards the Left?

Ya don't say?

[wonka45ACP]

Their all responsible for swaying a weak minded person.

[BossTweed]

Post is one of the Papers that publishes Obama press releases and acts like they are News. Intellectual dishonest and journalistically insignificant. Yawn

[Dan_Tien]

The First Amendment recognizes freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but that doesn't mean that the press is required to give anyone a platform to speak their opinion.

[harold_lloyd]

Actually, there may not be enough bias in the media.

Most media, no matter what the question, seek out opposing views in order to seem fair and balanced.

But slavish adherence to that principle doesn't allow for the fact that sometimes the opposing view is reflecting an agenda of its own, or just plain nuts.

I cite the tobacco propaganda war, or the climate change debate.

[Bobolinsky]

Honest biases aren't the problem. Dishonest biases are.

[Bobolinsky]

Stuff like this...

Debate co-chair: Picking Candy Crowley to moderate was a "mistake"
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57570304/...

...is what dishonest biases lead to.

[harold_lloyd]

@Bobolinsky
I thought she did an excellent job.

Her sin was not letting Romney make statements that were contrary to fact and get away with it.

Why didn't she harass Obama, you ask?

Because he didn't do anything quite so egregious, just the normal BS one expects from any politician.

[Bobolinsky]

@harold_lloyd-- Exsqueeze me? Are you actually trying to say that Candy Crowley's covering for Obama when he made the claim that the Obama Administration (to include the State Department of the Executive Branch) wasn't trying to blame the Benghazi attacks on a youtube video isn't biased?

[harold_lloyd]

@Bobolinsky
When use words like 'covering', you already staked out your position.
No, it wasn't biased.
At the time, and still, there is plenty of confusion about exactly what happened and why.
If you don't know that already, then you must be a Foxhound.

[VVP]

Fox has forever ruined that combination of words.

As for coverage and representation, Homosexuals are incredibly over represented in modern media almost to the point of over saturation.

[Thunderchicken]

Is media coverage of any issue generally fair and balanced?

FTFY

[Tralee]

Ok, is this a trick question, sort of a prequel to April Fools Day? Liberal media have been pushing gay marriage for eons. They also like abortion up to and including the hour of birth, have no problem with pedophiles teaching school or living near playcare centers, schools or other places that children gather. They think it's "not fair" that pedophiles have to move if they live near a day care of park or nursery school or grade school. They are currently whining about some pedophile who has to move to another apartment because he lives next to a day care center and close to an elementary school. After all, it's "Not Fair" is the mantra of the liberals. Of course, they don't seem to care too much if it's fair for those kids to be subjects of this guy, he's only going to look, right?

[Food4thoughts]

Who In the wacky world of sports are the "they" that you're talking about? And what does pedophiles have to do with being in favor or against gay marriage?

[Zazziness]

As usual, lots of hot air, lots of flabby stereotyping, no facts.

[AlexMIA]

On this one I'm going to say being on the right side of the issue is not being biased.

[tomincali]

most are biased based on what the guy who signs the checks pushes.

[coffeetalk]

I see the push for gay marriage as a civil rights movement. What if in covering stories about racial discrimination, the newspaper made extra sure to give voice and equal time to bigots? is that being "unbiased?" Or is it promoting intolerance and ignorance? I think it's the latter.

[Just_True]

Of course it is not fair. It is bias. In fact, starting with the IGLA gays have structured their lives to lie and get into positions such as journalism, psychiatry, but they have yet to curb the mental anguish. Gays even tried the priesthood, but we saw what happened to children. Since gays were outed in the priesthood, now they want to join the Boy's and Girl's Scouts.

Should Westboro Baptist members be allowed to march in Gay Pride parades and wave their flags and banners.

[Jet_Silverman]

No, tell us what happened. If you are talking about the Catholic Church, those were pedophiles, not gay men. Homophobes like to try and confuse homosexuality with pedophilia.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

@Jet_Silverman For all the years I've heard the word "homophobe" being thrown around I do not know one. I know plenty of people who are not in agreement with the gay agenda but homophobe? A phobia is a fear of something. I nor anyone I know is afraid of a gay person except for getting AIDS maybe but other than that they don't scare me one bit. Now having said that, you are in favor of gay priests since you said the priests that violated kids were PEDOFILES NOT GAY? It's OK then for a gay priest to hit on a non consenting male of any age according to your thinking?

[Jet_Silverman]

@ST_Louie_Sue are you reading from some play book? "Phobia means fear of something..." Can a man become hysterical? Well, you are a homophobe, now you know one. Yeah, Einstein, if you find children sexually desirable, you are a pedophile. You make no sense at all.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

@Jet_Silverman HUH? I make no sense? I am not a homophobe, they don't "scare" me, their lifestyle disgusts me. But I don't fear them, the person. Do you understand the difference between a pedophile and a gay person? Only difference I see is that a pedophile gets the title of being gay once the victim reaches the state age of consent. And I say victim, not a consenting adult who also chooses to be gay. Get it Einstein?

[Jet_Silverman]

@ST_Louie_Sue the fact their "lifestyle" disgusts you makes you a homophobe.(Again, do you get these lines from some playbook? What exactly is their "lifestyle"?) Yes, there is a big difference between a pedophile and a gay person. A pedophile is sexually attracted to children, those who haven't gone through puberty, people who can't give meaningful consent. A gay person is sexually attracted to adults of the same sex, those who have gone through puberty, people who can give consent, and who are sexually developed. It's not that complex. You don't seem to think consent is a big deal when it comes to having sex. And people don't choose to be gay.(Again, wondering about that playbook.) Did you choose to be straight? I didn't. From at least 8, I found myself attracted to boys in a way I wasn't attracted to girls. Nobody had to tell me to feel this way. No choice involved.

[Jet_Silverman]

Biased in favor of equal rights? The horror!

[jessejaymes]

Those who make their personal life decisions based on "media" should lose their right to vote on the grounds of general stupidity.

[Sabio]

they are 100% pro-homo and 100% anti-hetero!

[NormalFlora]

"Biased in favor of [human rights]." Oh, Shame!!!!

[commonsense51]

Are you kidding me? The media other than Fox news is totally in bed with anyone or anything that goes contrary to the Bible. They are Christianphobic with an agenda of censoring Christianity from our nation and replacing it with secular humanism. These are very scary activists and a threat to America's freedoms.