President Obama declared his support for gay marriage today.  That’s interesting news.  What’s also interesting is how the networks differ from each other when announcing the news.

Perhaps the differences are unnoticeable to some, but as a person who thinks critically about webpages for a living, I couldn’t help but notice how this headline was portrayed from news site to news site—particularly with the graphics.

 

Here is the Times:  Simple and classic much like the rest of their site.

"Obama endorses gay marriage" headline at New York Times

 

CNN was also quick to get this up on the front page: decorated with a video thumbnail and a neutral title, and presented alongside other breaking news.

"Obama endorses gay marriage" headline at CNN

 

Then there’s our friends over at the Fair and Balanced network.  What strikes me most is the high contrast bold font they use to scream out this headline.  Coupled with a closeup shot of the President’s face and a thumbnail of two men wearing pink, I think it’s “fair” to say that the Fair and Balanced network would command more respect (from me anyway) if it was fair, balanced, and tempered.

"Obama endorses gay marriage" headline at Fox News