Mainstream Peace Protesters, Murderous Pro-Lifers? -- 01/22/2003 - Media Research Center

For Immediate Release: Katie Wright (703) 683-5004 - Wednesday, January 22, 2003

NBC's Today Ignores Pro-Lifers Massing in Washington,
Goes to Buffalo to Find Cheerleaders For Killing Abortionist

Mainstream Peace Protesters,
Murderous Pro-Lifers?

On Saturday, media outlets echoed the organizers' spin on the "peace" rally in Washington as a mainstream collection of "grandparents," "students," "soccer moms," and even "Republicans." NBC's Saturday Today gently interviewed Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, representing the communist rally organizers of International ANSWER, without the mildest of ideological labels, as part of the proof that "the anti-war movement is picking up steam."

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell But as tens of thousands of Americans - including grandparents, students, soccer moms, and even Democrats - travel to Washington for the March for Life to mourn today's 30th anniversary of abortion on demand, the pro-life movement is being demonized on television by its most unrepresentative elements. Today brought on reporter Kelly O'Donnell in Buffalo, who thought that the perfect way to lead in to the March for Life was to publicize fans of killing abortionists.

O'Donnell explained: "This Buffalo women's clinic once again finds itself at the intersection of debate over abortion. A pro-life group called the Army of God says it will protest here today, while the clinic vows to remain open with security even greater than normal, measures taken after painful experience."

That painful experience? O'Donnell recalled: "1998, a Buffalo physician who performed abortions, Dr. Barnett Slepian, was gunned down inside his home in front of his family. Today, supporters of James Kopp, the man who confessed to the killing, have come to Buffalo to claim the shooting was justified."

NBC then showed extremist Michael Bray in a Roman collar, identified on screen as a "Pro-life demonstrator," who claimed: "This [abortion] is true murder of innocent people, and the stopping of murder is not wrong, even when lethal means are used."

Both ABC and CBS aired more balanced stories this morning, ABC on the upcoming political battles, and CBS on the lives and current opposing views of Roe attorney Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey. Only NBC reached into the mud and threw it at today's peaceful pro-life congregation in the nation's capital. -- Tim Graham

L. Brent Bozell III, Publisher; Brent Baker, Rich Noyes, Tim Graham, Editors; Geoffrey Dickens, Jessica Anderson, Brad Wilmouth, Brian Boyd, Ken Shepherd, and Patrick Gregory, Media Analysts; Kristina Sewell, Research Associate; Liz Swasey, Director of Communications. For the latest liberal media bias, read the CyberAlert at www.mrc.org.