Media coverage supports gay marriage, Pew poll finds

A new poll by the Pew Research Center shows that as the country’s attitude toward gay marriage changes, so has the media’s coverage of it. The poll suggests that media coverage has been more supportive of gay marriage.

Researchers found that 47 percent of the 500 news items surveyed showed a more supportive point of view on the topic. Just 9 percent focused on those who oppose and 44 percent were a mix of both point of views. Pew said that stories that had twice as many comments from supporters as opponents were classified as ‘supportive’ of gay marriage. If it didn’t meet that standard, they considered the story neutral.

According to Mediabistro, Pew looked at various forms of news coverage, looking at data from newspapers, cable, network TV, radio and sites like Gawker, BuzzFeed and Politico. Even Fox News has coverage that is more supportive of gay marriage than opposing it.

Politico reports that the poll on media follows a Pew poll on public opinion on gay marriage, which showed that 51 percent favored it and 42 percent were still opposed.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to make two important decisions on gay marriage. It could rule on California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

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