Was The VP Debate Moderated Fairly?
ALEXANDRIA, VA – According to an analysis
from the Media Research Center, the questions posed at Thursday night's vice presidential
debate by ABC correspondent Martha Raddatz favored Team Obama, but not entirely.
Out of 48 questions and follow-ups, a plurality (19, or 40%) incorporated a
pro-Obama/Biden or anti-Romney/Ryan agenda, vs. 25% (12 questions) that skewed
in the other direction and 35% (17 questions) that were neutral or purely
information-seeking.
Raddatz showed almost no bias in her foreign policy questions, which split down
the middle: eight pro-Romney vs. seven pro-Obama (not counting the neutrals).
But on domestic issues, especially on the budget and taxes, she joined Joe
Biden in pounding on Paul Ryan, with a remarkable dozen questions that
incorporated liberal campaign themes, compared to just four based on a
conservative premise, a stark three-to-one liberal tilt.
Media Research
Center President Brent Bozell reacts:
“Martha
Raddatz’s friends in the media are swooning over her performance in last
night’s Vice Presidential debate. And
certainly she deserves a good deal of credit for taking Joe Biden to task for
the Obama Administration’s failures in Benghazi. She asked the hard, pointed
questions that the administration has managed to dodge for weeks. Her conduct
during the opening segment was refreshing and professional.
“But
over the course of the 90-minute debate the wheels came off, especially when
she shifted to domestic economic policy. Any moderator whose weighted questions
favor liberals over conservatives by a 19-12 margin is biased.
“The
record shows it is not as bad as conservatives think, and not as good as
liberals are stating.”
To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another MRC spokesperson, please contact Jeremy Little - jlittle@crcpublicrelations.com (703)-683-5004
