NC Family Staff | July 7, 2016 | SHARE: 
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For over a month, stories about House Bill 2 dominated The News & Observer in Raleigh. According to our analysis, the newspaper published 161 stories and nearly 94,000 words during the first 35 days after HB2 was passed into law on March 23, 2016. That’s an average of more than 4 stories and 2,400 words per day! This amount of coverage for a single action by the NC General Assembly in itself is astonishing, but more astounding was the amount of bias we discovered.
To those of us who support the law, it appeared that most of the coverage in The News & Observer (N&O) portrayed the law as hateful, radical and unpopular. But was that simply our perception, or the truth? We decided to take a closer look. We examined all of the stories posted on the N&O website during that time period in an attempt to quantify whether this bias actually existed. When we looked at the results, we were amazed at the extent of the bias and the obvious lack of any attempt to portray both sides of this complex and emotional issue.
Our simple content analysis found that 79% of all N&O coverage during the first month following passage of HB2 illustrated a strong anti-HB2 sentiment. A meager 21% portrayed pro-HB2 sentiment.
But of course, fairness is not all about word count. So, we identified and searched for three key facts or clarifications that N&O reporters could have included to more fully explain why people support HB2. Out of a total of 93,960 words, only 1.7% (1,613 words) were devoted to these important facts! (Please see explanation in the sidebar.)
This is more astounding when you consider that there is widespread support of HB2 in North Carolina, particularly regarding the bathroom provision. Since the passage of HB2, there have been seven reputable polls released to the public. These all illustrated a North Carolina that is deeply divided on the issue. Of these seven polls:
These numbers clearly illustrate that North Carolina remains divided, with widespread opinions on both sides.
This slanted reporting was most clearly present on Monday, April 25. The General Assembly had just convened for the 2016 Short Session of the Legislature. That day featured two rallies: one in support of HB2 and one in opposition. HB2 supporters numbered in the 2,000-3,000 range as illustrated by aerial photography. Anti-HB2 protestors totaled fewer than 1,000. This was not fairly or accurately reported by the N&O. On the contrary, N&O stories promoted—even celebrated—the outcry to repeal HB2, featuring videos, pictures, and stories about the rally and related activity in opposition to HB2, with very little attempt to provide stories about pro-HB2 attendees or activities.
The N&O only had one story that featured the thousands of citizens from all across the state who came to Raleigh on a workday to show their support and thankfulness for the measure. The N&O headline read, “Hundreds rally near NC Legislative Building to support HB2.” The picture that accompanied the story clearly shows thousands. Another story that day featured an extensive description of all the activities of those opposed to HB2 and included only one sentence about support, which said, “A rally earlier in the day on the opposite side of the building, on Halifax Mall, drew a large crowd of HB2 supporters.” This pattern is repeated in most of the N&O coverage of HB2; it was quite common to have nothing or simply one line that mentioned supporters within a long, descriptive article on anti-HB2 activities.
A real low point on the N&O’s coverage of HB2 was the story, “Raleigh’s Lake Boone Chicken blasts HB2,” featuring a stuffed chicken that sits on a rock outside a home in Raleigh. This 400-word story, complete with two pictures, demonstrates the lengths to which the N&O staff went to find new, creative ways to blast HB2. If only they had put a little bit of their creative juices to work to find and interview just a few of the reasonable and respectable people who support HB2.
On a related note, NC Family has been receiving quite a few requests from foreign journalists hoping to find and interview people who support HB2. “It’s easy to find the ones who oppose it,” we were recently told. We tell these reporters that the HB2 supporters are out there; the polls clearly show they are. However, they have been so vilified and mocked by the anti-HB2 forces and the media, that most have taken to quietly contacting their representatives and the governor, encouraging them to stay the course. The news media, as illustrated by this case study of the N&O, has been complicit in the silencing of people who hold a view that differs from their own.
We analyzed 161 articles listed under the heading “N&O Coverage of North Carolina’s House Bill 2” on the N&O website from March 23, 2016, which is the date HB2 was passed into law, through Tuesday, April 26, which was the first news day after the 2016 North Carolina General Assembly Short Session convened. *
Our methods involved a simple word count. According to our analysis, these articles contained 93,960 words of which, 56,357 were used to present either positive or negative sentiment or reaction to HB2. Of those 56,357 words, 44,219 (or 79%) illustrated a negative opinion or reaction in regard to HB2 and 12,138 (or 21%) featured a positive representation. Words deemed “neutral” were disregarded in the counts and percentages for this comparison..
In addition, we searched all of these stories for three key facts that would have helped present HB2 in a more truthful light. For this analysis, we used the total 93,960 word count. These three facts are:
1. Statements indicating that North Carolina is among a majority of states (and the federal government) that do not include “sexual orientation” and/or “gender identity” as protected classes in employment and public accommodation laws. (438 words) 0.47 percent
2. Statements indicating that HB2 did not substantively change North Carolina’s nondiscrimination policies, but instead clarified these policies and emphasized that local governments may not exceed the established statewide law. (652 words) 0.69 percent
3. Statements indicating that local governments and businesses may continue to establish internal employment policies regarding their own personnel, but that cities and counties may not impose employment or public accommodation policies on local businesses that exceed the state law. (523 words) 0.55 percent
Of the 93,960 words in the stories reviewed, only 1.71% (1,613 words) were devoted to illustrating these facts, which could have been used to paint a more even-handed picture.
* This link is no longer available on the N&O website. However, for those who might want to verify our analysis, we have copies in our files and will make those available upon request.
If support/opposition is evenly divided on HB2, why has the N&O refused to report it that way? Let’s explore a few possibilities.
According to the polling results, unless North Carolina is made up of a majority of ignorant and hateful people, there are actually quite a few intelligent and compassionate people who support HB2. Those people deserve to have their voices and opinions presented. It is the job of our community journalists to find and present those stories—particularly if their point of view is being underrepresented. The N&O failed in their responsibility to fairly present both sides of this contentious issue, and our state’s reputation is the poorer for it
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North Carolina Family Policy Council.
