And now to something else that was big last week ... and that's the debate over same-sex marriage ... where opponents of marriage equality are having difficulty getting their message out to the media:

Foxtel customers angered by ads against same-sex marriage Foxtel has been bombarded with irate messages from customers upset that the pay TV company has run ads from opponents of same-sex marriage. — The Age, 11th August, 2015

Yes, some Foxtel viewers don't just dislike the ads, they think the network shouldn't be running them, as you can see from comments like this on Foxtel's website.

@Foxtel subscription cancelled. I guess you can make money off homophobia and bigotry. — Foxtel online,11th August, 2015

@Foxtel should be ashamed of themselves. But at least we know they're homophobic. #canceledsubscription ... — Foxtel online, 9th August, 2015

Whatever happened to freedom of speech?

And was the ad really so offensive?

Take a look at the TV commercial it ran from Marriage Alliance and judge for yourself.

VOICE OVER: So it's time to step back and consider all the issues around same-sex marriage, like how it will affect sex education in schools or how it will affect children. We could even lose certain rights, since changing the meaning of marriage has unintended consequences. — Marriage Alliance Ad, 9th August, 2015

All pretty mild, surely?

But Fairfax and Channel Nine, who also published the ad, ran into similar flak, including this broadside from Mamamia..

The ad's inaccurate claims are offensive. They are untrue. They are inviting hate. And they are being aired to hundreds of thousands of Australians on free-to-air television. That's why today, we're asking: Why on earth did the Nine Network agree to air these ads? — Mamamia, 11th August, 2015

The ad in fact makes hardly any claims at all and in my opinion to say it's inviting hate is ridiculous.

But by then, other media had already decided to ban it , with Channel Seven, Channel Ten, 2DayFM, The Australian Radio Network and Nova all refusing to give the ad an airing.

So how did they justify this?

Well, Ten refused to comment ...

While Seven told Media Watch unconvincingly:

We could not accommodate the booking and scheduling request. — Simon Francis, Director Corporate Affairs, Seven West Media, 13th August, 2015

And Nova at least came clean on its reasons, telling the Marriage Alliance in an email:

We simply feel that, this messaging [is] significantly out of alignment with the Nova brand and our audience. — Nova Entertainment, 4th August, 2015

By contrast, an ad from the other side of the debate-which supports same sex marriage or Marriage Equality-has run on Sky, Foxtel and WIN.

And they've had no trouble getting their message to Australia:

Aren't we about a fair go? It's about respect. What's all the fuss? — Marriage Equality Ad

Well indeed. What is all the fuss about a station airing commercials that its viewers might disagree with?

And whatever happened to a fair go for both sides of this debate?

In response to the ban, Sophie York from Marriage Alliance issued a statement to complain.

"It is quite shocking that two major TV networks are denying the basic right to freedom of speech and expression on an issue that supports the current law of the nation ... "We are asking for a fair-go to have a debate about an issue that should be discussed openly and transparently, and without intimidation or fear. Why is public debate being silenced?" — Marriage Alliance Media Statement

But aside from the ads being banned, are opponents of marriage equality getting an equal run in the media?

Or at least a fair hearing. We don't think they are.

When Canberra Airport lit up in rainbow lights last Sunday to support same sex marriage, it was front page in The Age and The Canberra Times next morning and also big news in the Sydney Morning Herald. And it scored almost fifty mentions on radio and TV.

But on Monday, when opponents of gay marriage piled flowers on the lawn at Parliament House it got just 14 mentions on radio and TV, one story on News.com.au, and this brief report on page 6 of the Adelaide Advertiser.

Sure, the airport was a better story. But the overall media coverage of the debate has also been skewed.

For example, none of the commercial TV stations

covered the launch of the Marriage Alliance campaign.

And major one-on-one interviews on radio and TV have also been out of kilter

With two key spokespeople for marriage equality, Rodney Croome and Christine Forster, scoring 32 interviews between them in the first 12 days of August

And by our count, two key speakers against-Sophie York and David van Gend-scoring a grand total of only 12.

Amazingly, the ABC has not interviewed Sophie York from the Marriage Alliance even once-despite 16 interviews with Forster and Croome.

As the Australian Marriage Forum's van Gend told Media Watch:

No-one ever rings us. We send endless media releases ... I don't want to pester anyone, but we're here. — David van Gend, Australian Marriage Forum, 12th August, 2015

We think those figures speak for themselves and we can only agree with the Christian Federation's Peter Kentley, who told us:

The media has a bias. There's no question it is pro same-sex marriage. — Peter Kentley, Christian Federation, 12th August, 2015

And just before you pile into me on Twitter if you're not already doing so. I am a supporter of Marriage Equality.

But, as we're constantly being reminded, this is a conscience issue and an important change that's being proposed, and surely both sides of the debate have an equal right to be heard.