Obama Beats Romney in New York Times Online Headline Battle, 9-0

May 25th, 2012 2:18 PM

The usual pro-Obama tilt in postings to the New York Times' political blog "The Caucus" was even more pronounced this week. Times Watch evaluated all the headlines to presidential-election related Caucus posts for the week of May 21-25, excluding summaries composed solely of links to Times stories, and stories related to Congress alone.

As of noon Friday, there were 23 matching posts. Of those 23, the headlines of 9 posts (shown below in bold) were classified as supportive of President Obama, with the remaining 14 classified as neutral. There was not a single headline favorable to Mitt Romney.

May 25, "Could Obama Win the Military Vote?" Sample quote: "...Mr. Obama’s campaign said it thinks his three and a half years as commander in chief have turned the tables on the issue, giving him a good chance at winning the veteran vote this year."

May 24, "At an Iowa Factory, Obama Argues His Energy Policies Work."

May 24, "Romney’s Massachusetts Woes: A Bad Omen?"

May 24, "For Voters, It’s the Job-Growth Trend That Counts."

May 24, "Romney and the Long Shadow of ‘Day 1’ Promises."

May 24, "Tight Race Seen in Swing-State Polls."

May 24, "Romney’s Unemployment Rate Dilemma."

May 24, "New Romney Ad Focuses on the Economy."

May 24, "Obama Touts ‘Extraordinary’ Accomplishments at California Fund-Raisers."

May 23 "Obama’s Anti-Bain Ad: Seldom Broadcast, but Much Seen."

May 23, "New Polls Underscore Close Presidential Race."

May 23, "Romney, Dipping Into Education, Pushes School Choice."

May 23, "Obama More Conservative Than Hoover? Someone Thinks So." Sample quote: "Clearly unimpressed by the questions he was getting from reporters, Mr. Carney volunteered an extensive and robust answer to one that was not asked, defending Mr. Obama against Republican charges of fiscal recklessness. He read a passage from Rex Nutting of MarketWatch stating that spending under Mr. Obama had grown even more slowly than under Mr. Hoover."


May 23, "Powell Criticizes Romney on Foreign Policy."

May 23, "New Obama Ads Focus on Medicare and Veterans."

May 23, "Obama Wins Contests in Arkansas and Kentucky." Sample quote: "President Obama easily won two more Democratic primaries on Tuesday, earning victories in largely uncontested contests in Kentucky and Arkansas, where he nevertheless faced a challenge from a perennial candidate." (Obama in fact won by embarrassingly slim margins, losing about 40% of the vote in each state.)

May 23 "If Romney Calls, I Would…"

May 22, "Biden Presses Bain Attack as Prominent Democrat Urges Caution."

May 22, "‘Super PACs’ Release Dueling Ads."

May 22, "‘Super PAC’ Continues Attacks on Bain With New Video."

May 22, "Powell Holds Back on Endorsing Obama."

May 21, "Republican Officials End Relationship With Adviser Tied to Ad Proposal."

May 21, "Obama Defends Attacks on Romney’s Work at Bain."