Media blackout no more: 45% have heard of Gosnell trial

April 17, 2013, 2:15 PM GMT+0

The trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell gained media attention for its lack of media attention. But this is no longer the case. Nearly half of Americans have now heard of it

Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor, is currently on trial for various offenses related to his practice, including the death of a patient and illegal late term abortions.

While Gosnell’s original arrest in January 2011 made headlines, his trial, which began on March 18, received little media attention, prompting conservatives to criticize the silence and denounce the lack of coverage as media bias. After Kirsten Powers wrote an editorial about the story for USA Today, the story began to be picked up by other media outlets, prompting a discussion of why it had received little coverage.

Whatever the reason for the earlier lack of coverage, the case is certainly no longer obscure. A new YouGov poll reveals that 45% of Americans have heard at least a little about the trial of Kermit Gosnell.

Appropriate for a story highlighted by some as an example of media bias, there is a still a partisan split in awareness.

55% of Republicans say they have heard something about it, but only 38% of Democrats have.