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NYT Calls Jill Biden a Doctor 3 Times More Often than Ben Carson

Dr. Ben Carson / AP
October 28, 2015

The New York Times referred to Jill Biden as a 'doctor' three times more than Ben Carson, according to the Weekly Standard.

Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's wife, has a doctorate in education. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson was the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins.

The Weekly Standard writes:

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," according to analysis by the R Street Institute think tank.

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. ...

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.