Can Republican Caroleene Dobson get a fair shake in AL-2 debate hosted by left-wing AL(dot)com?

Candidates for the newly drawn second congressional district, Caroleene Dobson (R) and Shomari Figures (D), have reportedly agreed to participate in a live-streamed debate hosted by AL(dot)com.

Given the website's well-earned reputation for left-wing bias, this raises the question of whether Dobson can expect a fair fight as a Republican or if Figures will be given an unfair advantage.

AL(dot)com, owned by Alabama Media Group, a subsidiary of New York billionaires Donald and Samuel Newhouse's Advance Publications, is not shy about its liberal bias, whether it's ignoring stories that do not suit its leftist narrative or overselling those that do.

In response to the Dobson and Figures debate, AL(dot)com editor in chief Hollis Towns, a man sued in his capacity at his former employer, Gannett, for allegedly banning the hiring of "Straight white males," had this to say:

“AL.com is the essential town square for Alabamians to get trusted news to stay informed about the issues that matter most to them. This all-important debate will provide readers an opportunity to hear these candidates unfiltered, and it demonstrates how AL.com provides information readers can count on.”

The debate will be streamed on the platform's Facebook page and YouTube channel on October 10.

AL(dot) com's questionable political objectivity has been on full display in the lead-up to the November presidential election.

Contrasting coverages of the Republican National Convention (RNC) and Democratic National Convention (DNC) show the flowery and flattering coverage of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris compared to that of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Despite numerous half-truths, misinformation and verifiable lies spoken from the podium of the DNC, Trump was the only one to receive an entire article exclusively dedicated to listing "3 things Trump lied about at his RNC acceptance speech."

Additionally, in a contradictory stance compared to its usually accepting tone of the LGBTQ+ community, the site also published a derisive and mocking article detailing the preponderance of RNC attendees using the gay dating and hookup app Grindr.

Understandably, AL(dot)com did not cover Harris' DNC speech in an attempt to offer the same piercing fact-checking levied against Trump. The outlet did, however, offer up the following headlines.