Let the numbers provide the proof

Dated and yet suddenly germane.  From Whom does The New York Times consider a doctor? by R.J. Lehmann.  The continued roiling among the Washington establishment regarding Mrs. Jill Biden's Ed.D is an indictment of the profound lack of seriousness among political pundits and the mainstream media.  

Whereas the MSM is trying to sell the idea that to not acknowledge Biden's Ed.D is ipso facto evidence of misogyny, back in 2015 Lehmann noted something different - mainstream media's inclination to downgrade real honorifics for those whom did not adhere to the progressive worldview and to inflate lesser honorifics of those who did adhere to the establishment orthodoxy.

And instead of expressing an opinion, he did some old fashioned journalism and tested his hypothesis.  Read the whole thing because he is both evenhanded and acknowledges the complexity of the issue which makes it sometimes less than binary.

The upshot, though, is that the establishment mainstream media does use honorifics in inconsistent and non-standard ways in order to either deflate non-progressives or elevate those favored in critical theory progressiveness.

According to a national poll released this morning from CBS News and The New York Times, Ben Carson has surged ahead to become the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Carson now has the support of 26 percent of Republican primary voters, four percentage points ahead of Donald Trump.

That’s quite an accomplishment for what initially was considered a very longshot candidacy. Some might suggest it merits a modicum of respect – say, by referring to the longtime director of pediatric neurosurgery at the nation’s premier teaching hospital (Johns Hopkins) with the well-deserved title “Dr.”

Yet in the pages of the Times itself, more often than not, Carson isn’t identified that way. In fact, thumbnail analysis I just did of Times stories using the media tracking service Nexis shows that Second Lady Jill Biden (who in 2007 received a doctor of education degree, or Ed.D., from the University of Delaware) is more than three times more likely to be called “Dr.” by The New York Times as Carson is.

Through last night, Nexis results show Ben Carson’s name has appeared in The New York Times 373 times: 356 times as Ben Carson and 17 times as Benjamin Carson. On first reference (that is, the first time he is named in the story) he has been referred to as “Dr. Ben Carson” or “Dr. Benjamin Carson” 32 times, plus an additional 13 times on second reference. He’s been called “Mr. Carson” on second reference 57 times.

By contrast, Jill Biden’s name has appeared 61 times. Seven of those times, she was referred to as “Dr. Jill Biden” on first reference and another seven times on second reference. Only twice has she been called “Mrs. Biden” on second reference. (The Times has never referred to her as “Ms. Biden,” so it isn’t simply a matter of preferring a less patriarchal terminology.)

Comparing those head-to-head, Ben Carson has been called “Dr.” in 12.1 percent of the Times stories in which his name appears. Jill Biden has been called “Dr.” in 23.0 percent of the stories in which her name appears. Ben Carson has been called “Mr. Carson” in 15.3 percent of the stories in which his name appears. Jill Biden is called “Mrs. Biden” in just 3.3 percent of the stories in which her name appears.

The contrast is even starker on New York Times blogs, which are more informal and thus should have less need for honorifics at all. Jill Biden’s name has appeared on Times blogs 58 times. She’s been called “Dr.” on first reference 28 times and then once more on second reference. She’s been called “Mrs. Biden” on second reference four other times.

Ben Carson’s name has appeared in Times blogs 191 times (five of them as “Benjamin Carson”). He’s been called “Dr.” on first reference 11 times and on second reference six other times. He’s been called “Mr. Carson” on second reference 66 times – including, most puzzlingly, twice when he was separately referred to as “Dr. Ben Carson.”

Thus, head-to-head, we see that Times blogs refer to Jill Biden as “Dr.” nearly half the time (48.3 percent) while referring to Ben Carson as “Dr.” just 8.9 percent of the time. She is called “Mrs. Biden” just 6.9 percent of the time, while he is called “Mr. Carson” 34.7 percent of the time.

Lots more interesting analysis further on in the article.  Including:

Incidentally, our prior second lady, Lynne Cheney, holds a Ph.D. in British literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. By my count, her name has appeared in The New York Times or its blogs 293 times. She has been identified as “Dr.,” on either first or second reference, exactly zero times.

In mainstream media world, a lowly Ed.D commands greater respect than a medical doctor and way more respect than a Ph.D - as long as you are a paid up member of the political and academic establishment and a member of the left wing of the Democratic party.  Not something overtly stated in the style guides for some reason.