But there are other possibilities. Perhaps it is because more reporters personally support gay marriage (I have not seen a study that says whether or not this is the case). Perhaps it is because, as speakers said at the CJR panel last week, it has become increasingly difficult to get reasonable sources on the record as being opposed to gay marriage. Perhaps it is because arguments against gay marriage often seem thin and unsupportable (as Pew alludes, many of the arguments against it say simply that since marriage has always been between a man and a woman, it should remain between a man and a woman). Perhaps it is because, after decades of social history that was negative toward gay people, positive feelings toward gays and lesbians still feel like news.
In any case, this is unfair. It is important that the half of America that does not support gay marriage feel heard and that their arguments be articulated in a thoughtful way. This is tough, because the loudest opposing voices on this issue are often the most extreme. But I’d love to hear readers’ thoughts on this issue; the solution must be out there.
I'm not a journalist versed in coverage fairness, but these statistics seem benign. On so compelling a civil rights issue, the "neutral" coverage tends to give more undue space to the opponents' perspective than to supporters. And the comparative impact of conservative talk radio makes the absence of any supportive coverage there seem more troubling than whatever is happening on liberal radio. A greater concern for me, as a constitutional scholar frustrated with the popular debate, is that pundits and journalists too often seem ill-equipped to question discourse-obscuring fundamental mistakes "constitutional conservatives" and others make by ignoring the role of inalienable rights and other non-textual sources in our constitution. I detail that problem and potential responses in a recent non-academic essay: Is "Constitutional Conservatism" Neither? How Mistaking Our Nation to be Constituted by One Document Undermines Rule of Law, http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Is-Constitutional-Conserva-by-Darren-Latham-130613-277.html.
#1 Posted by Darren Latham, CJR on Wed 19 Jun 2013 at 02:30 PM
This is so ironic coming from CJR that recently held a forum on the topic. Result? No voices supporting traditional marriage.
But, even the lefty Pew shows that CJR reflects the overall attitude of the press to propagandize the public on gay issues.
http://www.mrc.org/articles/no-conservatives-columbia-school-journalism-gay-marriage-panel
#2 Posted by Dan Gainor, CJR on Fri 21 Jun 2013 at 10:09 PM