Coverage uneven for abortion doctor, soldier

The Washington Times

Two apparent politically motivated slayings within 24 hours resulted in some very uneven news coverage. The press paid far more attention to the killing of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller than it did to Army recruiter Pvt. William Andrew Long.

Some critics say journalists displayed clear pro-choice bias in their heavy Tiller coverage; others point to the doctor being a longtime controversial media figure.

Both stories were dramatic.

The Wichita, Kan., physician was shot while attending church Sunday. Authorities have charged Scott Roeder, who had a history of pro-life and anti-government writings. Pvt. Long was gunned down in a suburban Arkansas recruiting center a day later, and Muslim convert Abdulhakim Muhammad has been arrested. Authorities say he confessed to targeting soldiers to avenge U.S. military actions against Muslims.

A Google News search for "George Tiller" produced more than 10,000 hits Thursday afternoon, while a similar search for "William Long" yielded fewer than 1,400. A selective LexisNexis search by The Washington Times on Wednesday, based on the neutral words "recruiter" and "abortion doctor" and the respective locales turned up 98 newspaper stories on Dr. Tiller and six on Pvt. Long.

Every day from Sunday to Wednesday, the Associated Press moved three to six different-bylined stories mentioning the Tiller slaying. On no day has it moved more than one separate story on the Long killing.

The Washington Post had 28 news articles on the Tiller death through Thursday's editions, against just five on the Long slaying. A telephone call and an e-mail to Post ombudsman Andy Alexander were not returned.

read more