The Los Angeles Times has a long and interesting story about my colleague Rick Sander’s work on how race preferences actually decrease the number of black lawyers (see the links below for Rick’s posts summarizing his findings). But here’s the headline:
Professor Assails Anti-Bias Program
The spin at the L.A. Times apparently begins with the headline, even in the news sections. After all, the whole debate is whether race-based preferences are “anti-bias,” or whether they are themselves bias — and Rick’s thesis is that they don’t just facially discriminate against whites, but end up hurting the blacks whom they’re trying to help. Shouldn’t an account about the debate have a slightly more neutral headline?
Incidentally, I realize that headline writers often find it hard to fit an objective and accurate summary into the short space that’s available. But how about “Professor Assails Affirmative Action” or “Professor Assails Race Preferences”? (True, both labels have their own inherent political spin, but at least it’s the minimum spin possible to describe the issue — much less than “Professor Assails Anti-Bias Program.”) Thanks to reader Tom Hynes for the message.
Comments are closed.