Oct 14, 2005  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO JR.  | COMMENTS     

The Washington Examiner, which began publishing in the D.C. metropolitan area in February as a free daily newspaper, became the subject of much speculation by local political observers, including gay activists, following its launch.

Along with its sister paper on the West Coast, the San Francisco Examiner, the Washington Examiner is owned by billionaire businessman and conservative ideologue Philip Anschutz of Colorado, who has long been aligned with conservative Christian groups that oppose gay rights.

Anschutz drew criticism from gay activists in 1992 when he contributed $10,000 to the campaign for Colorado’s controversial Amendment 2, a state constitutional amendment approved by voters that barred Colorado or its cities and towns from enacting gay rights laws. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the amendment in its landmark 1996 decision in Romer vs. Evans.

In interviews during the past two weeks, gay activists in D.C. and San Francisco said the two tabloid newspapers so far appear to have provided fair and balanced coverage on gay rights and AIDS issues.

“They seem to be playing it straight down the middle,” said Kim Mills, a former Associated Press reporter and current communications director for D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Mills said Whitman-Walker has no complaints about the Examiner’s coverage of the Clinic’s AIDS and gay community health programs.

Bevan Dufty and Tom Ammiano, gay members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said the San Francisco Examiner, which Anschutz purchased in February 2004, has provided better local news coverage than the paper’s previous owner.

“Their coverage has not been extensive on the gay community,” said Dufty, a former D.C. resident. “But it has not been hostile or biased.”

Lean to the right

“I have not sensed any homophobia in their news coverage,” Ammiano said. However, Ammiano said he has noticed a “rightward leaning” of the paper’s overall coverage.

“We feel our editorial view is center to center-right,” said Herbert W. Maloney III, president and publisher of the Washington Examiner.

“Our news columns have no guidance from the owner except that they are to be fair and balanced and we share all points of view,” Maloney said, in discussing Anschutz’s relationship with the two Examiners.

A Washington Examiner editorial on May 26 would likely have upset Anschutz, who has been described as a devout Christian and opponent of same-sex marriage.

The editorial expressed opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage through court-imposed decisions, which it called undemocratic. But the editorial also criticized U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) for warning D.C. that Congress would step in to repeal a same-sex marriage recognition bill approved by the D.C. government.

“Since the Constitution makes no mention of gay marriage, a strict constructionist would be forced to conclude that each individual state — as well as the District of Columbia — should be able to decide whether to permit it, and under what conditions.”

Anschutz created a stir among his competitors when news surfaced that he registered trademarks for the Examiner name in more than 50 newspaper markets throughout the country.

The Washington Business Journal has reported that industry observers believe Anschutz is taking aim at the Washington Post by seeking to lure away Post advertisers. By targeting his paper to middle and high-income neighborhoods throughout the D.C. metropolitan area, Anschutz likely is attempting to compete for advertising revenue on the premise that a free paper will quickly draw a high circulation, the WBJ reported.

Critics have expressed concern that Anschutz’s entrance into the newspaper business is motivated by his desire to promote his conservative ideology. Although he appears to be staying out of the newsrooms of his first two papers in D.C. and San Francisco, critics worry that he could change that policy if and when those and other papers he acquires begin to take hold.

According to Forbes magazine, Anschultz, 65, has a net worth of at least $4.9 billion and is ranked as the world’s 62nd richest person.

Family-friendly fare?

Slate, the online news magazine, reported earlier this year that Anschutz stated in a February 2004 speech that he entered the movie business because he dislikes R-rated films that portray violent and “vulgar” themes. Through his theater chain and his investment in more than a dozen Hollywood films, Slate reported, Anschutz said he hopes to promote more family-oriented entertainment.

Whatever Anschutz’s intentions are for his newspapers, news industry observers have said a paper like the Washington Examiner won’t carry much sway unless it can establish itself as a credible alternative to the Post.

Rick Rosendall, vice president of the D.C. Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance, said he has seen “no sense of bias” on the part of the Washington Examiner’s ...