Ken Berwitz
Congratulations to CBS News. It is the one and only of the three major networks to provide coverage – both sides well represented – of what is shown the videos, created undercover by the Center for Medical Progress, and why Republicans want a vote on defunding Planned Parenthood.
Excerpted from Curtis Houck\’s article at newsbusters.org:
Asit often did when each of the CMP videos were released, the lion\’s share of theminuscule network coverage came thanks to the CBS Evening News. Anchor ScottPelley started the segment by telling viewers that “[t]he clock is running onanother federal government shutdown” as “Congress has 13 days to pass aspending bill.” Pelley then pointed out how, instead of soldiering on andpassing a bill to continue government funding, “the House is deadlocked in a battleto end funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides women\’s health services,including abortion.”Leading into a soundbite from Republican CongressmanMike Kelly (Pa.) passionately denouncing the controversial group, Cordes didthe job her competitors at ABC and NBC failed to do in both showing footagefrom some of the videos and explaining why the matter’s being discussed: “Today\’s vote was a reaction to these undercover videos released byconservative activists this summer. They show Planned Parenthood doctorsdiscussing the harvesting of fetal tissue from abortions for research.”Cordesgave equal time to pro-choicers with a soundbite from Democratic CongresswomanJan Schakowsky (Ill.) but first explained that the vote to strip funding fromthe group for one year “was largely a symbolic gesture, because Republicansdon\’t have the votes in the Senate.”
Again, congratulations to CBS News. How sad that the network earns those congratulations by doing nothing other than reporting both sides of the story.
And shame on NBC and ABC for, again, virtually burying the side they do not favor – especially for burying the videos, which are about as damning as they can be, thus proving that the media credo, “Keep \’em ignorant and you own \’em”, is alive and well.
