Most media outlets downplayed Senator Schumer's threats. NBC, ABC, CBS and USA Today all referred to Sen. Shumer’s threats as “comments” about the justices. This is bias by spin. Bias by spin occurs when the story has only one interpretation of an event or policy, to the exclusion of the other; spin involves tone – it’s a reporter’s subjective comments about objective facts; makes one side’s ideological perspective look better than another.

Major media reports only included Senator Schumer's threats within articles about the case, such as NBC's: "Abortion rights demonstrators rally outside Supreme Court as major case is heard."  Other reports were similar.

What do you think?  -- If a Republican senator had shouted similar statements at a rally outside the Supreme Court naming liberal justice Sonia Sotomayor or Ruth Bader Ginsburg do you think the media response would have been different? Explain your answer.

Ask a Democratic relative or friend the same question. (If you are a Democrat, still ask another the same question.)