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ABC News Accused of Biased Coverage of Abortion, Pro-Life March
Life News ^ | 01/23/04 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 01/23/2004 11:41:52 AM PST by m1-lightning

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A media watchdog group is accusing ABC News of biased coverage about abortion and the March for Life, where more than 100,000 people gathered to mourn the Roe v. Wade decision allowing abortion.

While ABC on Thursday night gave a few seconds of air time to Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark's clarification of his position in favor of abortion, it blacked out any coverage of the March for Life.

Instead, ABC's web site featured two articles with a decidedly pro-abortion viewpoint, notes Jessica Anderson of the Media Research Center.

"'Christian Terrorists': Anti-Abortionist Calls for Violence, Says It Is Religious Duty," proclaimed one headline on the ABC web site while "A Global Abortion War" was the other.

"For the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, ABC News chose to cast the pro-life movement in the most negative slant it could scrounge up on its Web site, and completely ignore it all together on the air the night before, morning of and day of, the annual March for Life," said MRC's Anderson.

The article on abortion-related violence "highlighted the bizarre rantings of Chuck Spingola on the Army of God Web site and the few people on the farthest fringe of the pro-life movement," Anderson explained.

ABC reporter Dean Schabner opened his piece: "An anti-abortion activist, calling for a new wave of violence against clinics and doctors, is following the example of violent Islamic fundamentalists, telling those who share his views to become 'Christian terrorists' and promising them a reward in Heaven."

Schabner quoted Mark Potok of the pro-abortion Southern Poverty Law Center, who claimed, "The hard-liners have become more and more hard-line, and I think they've lost most of their appeal even with the Christian right, which might share some of their views."

Anderson retorted, "As if Spingola and any of the handful of nutcases supporting violence against abortion providers bear any relation to mainstream pro-lifers."

Anderson points out contradictory statements by ABC's Schabner in an attempt to paint pro-life advocates as supporters of violence and, at the same time, acknowledge that abortion-related violence is on the decline.

Schabner writes that "extreme violence against abortion providers has dropped sharply over the last two years," but later says "there has been no decline in the harassment of doctors and staff at clinics and women visiting clinics."

Meanwhile, the second biased ABC News web site story on abortion took President Bush to task for his Mexico City Policy, which disallows taxpayer funding of groups that perform or promote abortions in other countries.

The story featured a photo of an unidentified African woman with the caption which conveyed the flavor of the story: "A U.S. rule on family planning aid is adversely affecting women across Africa and Asia, some health professionals say."

"Those 'health professionals' turn out to be from pro-abortion groups such as the Margaret Sanger Center International at Planned Parenthood of New York City and the Center for Reproductive Rights," Anderson explained.

ABC News reporter Leela Jacinto, in the article, writes, "It was a decision Nirmal Bista never really wanted to make: a choice between money and principles, shutting up or sticking it out, and most harrowingly, one that involved the lives -- and potential deaths -- of millions of his countrywomen."

Anderson said the piece leaves readers thinking Bush's pro-life policies are to blame for women dying from abortions around the world.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: abc; abcdisney; abcnews; abortion; antichristian; boycott; boycottdisney; ccrm; disney; infanticide; leftists; liberalmedia; liberals; marchforlife; marchforlife2004; marchlifemediabias; mediabias; mediabiasforlife; medianews; mrc; prolife; religion; religiousintolerance; waltdisney; waltsrotatingcorpse
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ACTION: Email ABC News at netaudr@abc.com to express your displeasure at their biased coverage.
1 posted on 01/23/2004 11:41:53 AM PST by m1-lightning
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

To: JackRyanCIA
Read on.
3 posted on 01/23/2004 11:51:12 AM PST by m1-lightning (Weapons of deterrence do not deter terrorists; people of deterrence do.)
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To: *medianews
bump
4 posted on 01/23/2004 11:54:20 AM PST by m1-lightning (Weapons of deterrence do not deter terrorists; people of deterrence do.)
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: m1-lightning
This happens every year....

Half the country could show up on the streets of Washington for the March for Life and would receive little if no coverage from the main networks.....and if any numbers are given, it would be far fewer than what is truly represented.

HOWEVER, if some mealy mouth small, as in tiny, as in less than half a dozen, liberals show up for anything....

...well...you know the rest of the story.

6 posted on 01/23/2004 11:58:32 AM PST by Guenevere (..., .Press on toward the goal!)
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To: m1-lightning
For more than 25 years, the annual March for Life has been the most underreported event in America.

Typically, they turn their cameras away from 50,000 or sometimes several hundred thousand marchers, and intstead interview the couple of dozen pro-abortionists picketing across the street. They NEVER show pictures of the large crowds of pro-lifers.

It's one of the biggest stories of our generation, totally ignored because it's not "News that's fit to print."
7 posted on 01/23/2004 12:00:41 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: m1-lightning
INTREP - "Murder, Inc." ALERT
8 posted on 01/23/2004 12:22:50 PM PST by LiteKeeper
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To: m1-lightning
ABC News chose to cast the pro-life movement in the most negative slant it could scrounge up

Don't sell them short...

9 posted on 01/23/2004 12:26:47 PM PST by LearnsFromMistakes (Tagline loading. Please wait...)
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To: Donaeus
bttt - for later
10 posted on 01/23/2004 12:32:02 PM PST by Donaeus (Approximately 79,999,977 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.)
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To: LearnsFromMistakes
Hmm... I assume you believe ABC has a soft side for pro-lifers? Search ABC news and see if you find coverage of anything pro-life. The only relation to pro-life is this crap:
Pro-lifers are all just like Islamic Terrorists
11 posted on 01/23/2004 12:36:55 PM PST by m1-lightning (Weapons of deterrence do not deter terrorists; people of deterrence do.)
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To: m1-lightning
You gotta love the headline:

ABC News Accused of Biased Coverage...

12 posted on 01/23/2004 12:38:24 PM PST by Starboard
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To: m1-lightning
I heard a local (Washington DC) ABC radio report on the march... They noted the large numbers (I thought they estimated around 50,000 not 100,000) at the beginning of the report, but then interviewed one of the 12 Pro-Choice counter-protesters and gave her about a 30 second sound-bite to get out her propaganda. No interviews with for a representative of the 100,000 Pro-Lifers.
13 posted on 01/23/2004 12:42:35 PM PST by ReleaseTheHounds
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To: ReleaseTheHounds
Yeah, it's like this:

ABC Reporter: "So what do you think of so many religous whackos in one place like this?"

Pro-choice voice #1: "I see a resembelence to the Nazi movement in the 30's. They just want to control us like we're a bunch of cattle."

Pro-choice voice #2: "I don't think this is what's the founding fathers would have wanted. Government should not legislate morality"

Pro-choice voice #3: "It's scary. It's really appauling that this many people would want to take away my constitutional rights. I mean, 12 people in 1973 could't be wrong could they"?

ABC News reporter: Oh it's not just 12 people. We're with you on this too.

14 posted on 01/23/2004 1:00:30 PM PST by m1-lightning (Weapons of deterrence do not deter terrorists; people of deterrence do.)
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To: Guenevere
Two or three years ago, tens of thousands of Second Amendment Sisters marched, and the networks ignored them. But when less than twenty gun-grabbers showed up for Rosie O'Donnell's "Million Mom March," the networks showed them in closeup, all standing between a couple of trees in a park (rather than using a long shot, to show the expanse of the empty park), and devoted about five minutes of precious national news time to the incoherent, anti-constitutional failures.
15 posted on 01/23/2004 1:06:35 PM PST by mrustow
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To: Guenevere
"This happens every year...."

It does. It is almost as if the March never occurs when every year tens of thousands of Americans are in the streets of Washington DC for life.

Meanwhile leftist demonstrations of less than twenty (eg the kook who trespassed in a tree here in So.Cal.) get good coverage.

16 posted on 01/23/2004 1:13:39 PM PST by BenLurkin (Socialism is Slavery)
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To: m1-lightning
when I commented on 'in the most negative slant it could scrounge up', I was thinking that they can become even more negative than that. Your example was perfect - just when we think they have hit bottom, they find new lows...and always will...
17 posted on 01/23/2004 1:36:09 PM PST by LearnsFromMistakes (Tagline loading. Please wait...)
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To: LearnsFromMistakes
*Wink*

18 posted on 01/23/2004 1:53:36 PM PST by m1-lightning (Stop the illegal UFO invasion! Write-in Fox Mulder for President '04)
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To: Cicero
I was there at The March for Life on Thurs 1-22-04...it was a most inspiring Judeo-Christian activity (BTW, there was no sign of the 'Religion of Peace'...Islam)... Especially inspiring were the vast numbers of young people and Religious, especially Catholic Schools from as far away as Minnesota & Dallas, TX. Everyone was so inspired - it would make a non-believer question his non-belief - I'm sure that's why it will not be covered by the mainstream media. However, it was covered by EWTN...Eternal Word Television Network...available on cable, satelite and shortwave.
Also, the March for Life has its own website.

A main sponsor of the event was the Knights of Columbus, who were there with bright blue jackets and gold insignia. There was no controversy, disruption or anti-social acts that I saw. The whole March was enthusiastic but prayerfull - I walked for a time behind a group who was reciting the Rosary all the way to the Supreme Court.

I would like to direct your attention to a replay of the March scheduled on EWTN for Sat, 1-24 @ 1PM EST, also a Program entitled 'Making Abortion Rare' on Fri 1-23 @ 6PM EST. Additionally, a program called 'It's a Miracle' scheduled for Fri 1-23 @ 6:30AM. Please confirm @Special Programming

19 posted on 01/23/2004 2:06:35 PM PST by harbingr (USA/FreeRepublic/Constitution Party: the last Best hope of mankind)
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To: m1-lightning; Loyalist
bumping the Truth
20 posted on 01/23/2004 2:20:10 PM PST by harbingr (USA/FreeRepublic/Constitution Party: the last Best hope of mankind)
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