From Media Matters:
On National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, reporter Jacqueline Froelich failed to challenge Arkansas Republican state Sen. Jim Holt’s assertion that “there are thousands of studies, actually … over 10,000” that show “the homosexual family or the environment is problematic for the child.” Froelich did not address Holt’s dubious figure of 10,000 studies, which would be possible only if a new study reaching that conclusion had been released every day for the past 27 years.
In fact, the social science research overwhelmingly shows that there’s little or no significant difference between kids raised by same-sex and opposite-sex parents.
Curtsy: Echidne.
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Upon reviewing the text of the story (provided at Media Matters), I guess it’s fair to say that Froelich didn’t challenge the 10,000 studies figure directly. Having listened to the story, however, I came away with a very different impression.
Immediately prior to quoting Senator Holt’s assertion of 10,000 studies, Froelich ran a quote summarizing the holding of the Arkansas Supreme Court: “The court found that, in fact, this policy [barring homosexuals from being foster parents] did not promote the health, safety, and welfare of children, that there was all the evidence to the contrary and no evidence put up by the state, by the way, showing that gay people might be bad foster parents.”
And immediately after quoting Senator Holt’s assertion of 10,000 studies, Froelich says, “That figure – 10,000 studies – is frequently cited by children’s psychologist and Christian conservative Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. ”
In context, all of this implied scepticism to me. Maybe I’ve read so many court decisions and listened to so much NPR that I pick up different cues than other people. Then again, I don’t hold Dobson to be very credible, so maybe I just projected my own scepticism onto Froelich.
nobody, I can see your point, and perhaps it is a case of NPR expecting their audience to have a certain amount of skepticism. The problem is, I’m not sure that’s something any mass newsmedia should really be doing with issues like this. Yeah, there are certain things that one needs to assume audiences know; but, I’m not sure this is one of them.
I guess the other question is (being Australian, I’m not completely up-to-date with everything that happens in US media), has anyone actually pointed out to Dobson or anyone else quoting this 10,000 figure really requires?
It reminds me of what my partner once did with a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses who came to the door talking about how gay men have some ridiculous number of sexual partners in their lifetime. My partner actually broke it down into how many that would require per day every day, and the poor booys who’d come to the door were left a little speechless, because they really hadn’t thought of it that way before.