Regardless of whether you support or oppose North Carolina’s marriage amendment, WRAL-TV gave us a prime example of media bias over the weekend with its “On the Record” segment discussing the subject.
I don’t recommend viewing the entire 25-minute back-and-forth because it’s a re-hash of points that have been debated into the ground for months. But the fact that WRAL’s David Crabtree (one of the station’s evening news anchors) and Laura Leslie (WRAL’s political reporter covering the legislature) didn’t ask the Duke professor who opposes the amendment even one hard question was telling.
In contrast, they played the role of aggressive cross-examiners with an African-American minister who supports the amendment. Now, I’m all for a tough line questioning, but seldom have I see two reporters spread their queries in so inequitable a manner — outside of MSNBC, that is.
Like global warming, journalists consider same-sex marriage a topic on which they need not even feign fairness.
