Menendez Coverage Is Biased Against Defense

* Your bias against the defense in the Menendez case is palpable in your word choice and unbalanced presentation of the facts in favor of the prosecution.

The most recent of myriad examples is the Dec. 9 story “Closing Arguments Start in Menendez Trial,” which glosses over defense attorney Michael Burt’s detailed arguments in a few brief, matter-of-fact paragraphs.

The bulk of the article (21 paragraphs) details in dramatic fashion the arguments as presented by Deputy Dist. Atty. Pamela Bozanich, quoting her extensively.

This “subtle” slant toward the prosecution’s case has been the rule, not the exception, of these so-called news articles.

No matter what one may think about the Menendez brothers, this sort of one-sided, let-me-tell-you-how-to-think journalism should be condemned by intelligent readers.

Such articles ought to be recognized by The Times for what they are and relocated to their proper place--on the Editorial Page.

JAMES PALUMBO

Sherman Oaks