"Conservative" Abortion Opponents but No "Liberals" for Gay Marriage
Double standards still apply when it comes to the Times' coverage of how each party's presidential candidates are tackling divisive social issues.
GOP candidate Mitt Romney is being pushed by social conservatives casting doubt on the sincerity of his opposition to abortion, the Times detailed Friday in a piece by Adam Nagourney and Michael Luo ("Rivals and Voters Push Romney on Conservative Credentials").
Nagourney and Luo throw around the word "conservative" no fewer than ten times (not including the headline), making numerous mentions of Romney's "conservative critics" and "conservative radio talk show hosts," as well as "social conservatives."
By contrast, a story on the same page also involved a crucial social issue, but one favored by the left. In this case, the reporting came without a single ideological label. Patrick Healy was in Los Angeles for the Democratic Party's "gay debate," organized by the Human Rights Campaign and aired on the gay Logo cable channel. But Healy found not one "liberal" among the candidates, questioners, or audience, even though the debate centered around gay rights, as the Democratic candidates either embraced gay marriage or settled for civil unions. Healy preferred the term "gay rights advocates."
