Outrage Over 72 Hours Of Network Silence On Catholic Lawsuit Spreads To Other Christian Leaders
Updated with new statements | Fury over the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts’ continued refusal to report the lawsuits Catholic entities have filed against the Obama administration has spread beyond the Media Research Center watchdog group and Catholic leaders to 11 additional Christian leaders equally concerned about this decision to deliberately not report national news. Below are statements released by FRC’s Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer of American Values and nine more leaders.
For the third night in a row the broadcast networks have refused to cover this correctly. This momentum is fueled by CBS Evening News’ outrageous decision not only to spike the Catholic lawsuits but instead to lead the news with yet another story about the Catholic sex abuse scandal. The broadcast devoted two minutes and 31 seconds to the accused abusers and allegations that occurred decades ago. That’s roughly eight times more coverage than CBS Evening News gave the historic lawsuit on Monday.
“Those fleeting 19 seconds remain the only evening news coverage of the damning anti-Obama lawsuit in 72 hours since the unprecedented suing by 
one of the largest institutions in the country,” stated Media Research Center President Brent Bozell. “Make no mistake – CBS intentionally resurrected the decade-old scandal last night while ignoring the lawsuit to throw salt on the wound of America’s 60 million Catholics. The media are holding this historic news hostage from the American people. At least CBS has heard of the word 'Catholic.' ABC and NBC are behaving like the Catholic Church -- and one out of every four Americans -- don’t exist.”
Statements
"This week Catholic leaders filed lawsuits responding to an unprecedented federal government intrusion into the church. Several major netwrks have chosen to ignore the stand that these Catholic organizations have taken in defense of our most fundament freedom. However, thousands of priests, pastors, and rabbis will continue to speak out and refuse to surrender their most fundamental right to live and exercise faith without compromise. The church will not allow itself to be conscripted to advance anyone's liberal political agenda."
Tony Perkins
President, Family Research Council
"It is a shame (though hardly surprising) that the mainstream media have virtually ignored the lawsuit by the Catholic bishops and other Catholic institutions against the Obama administration’s unconstitutional assault on religious liberty. With its attempt to force Catholic institutions to purchase healthcare plans with contraceptives and abortifacients, the administration has revealed how willing it is to trample constitutional rights. By ignoring this story, the media’s liberal bias has never been clearer."
Gary L. Bauer
Former Presidential Candidate
President American Values
Chairman the Campaign for Working Families
"The media have been irresponsible in ignoring growing problems with President Obama's healthcare law. The violations of First Amendment Rights of Conscience has been an AUL concern throughout this process, and the lack of coverage of this unprecedented intrusion into the life of faith should not be ignored. If any Administration is permitted to force Americans to act against their consciences as a matter of policy, it will change the very fabric of the American way of life. The very real concerns expressed in the Catholic lawsuits should be a major media focus, particularly in this election season."
Dr. Charmaine Yoest
President and CEO of Americans United for Life
"Once again, the mainstream media ignore the news. Now that the Catholic bishops have stood tall, it's the media that fell down and abased themselves before Obama's throne. Obama has declared war on truth, conscience, and the religious liberties that have defined America. If Judeo-Christian values ever had a Valley Forge, the legal action against the HHS mandate is that moment."
Rev. Louis P. Sheldon
Chairman, Traditional Values Coalition
Andrea Lafferty
President, Traditional Values Coalition
"The controversy over the HHS mandate is not just a Catholic issue, but one that affects people of all faiths, including our Christian schools, as it is a direct attack on the religious liberty that is a vital part of the foundation of our country. Despite the media’s deafening silence on the tremendous outcry over this issue, people of faith will not stand idly by while our religious freedoms are stripped away."
Dr. Keith Wiebe
President. American Association of Christian Schools
“The lack of media attention regarding the 12 law suits that over 40 organizations have filed against the Obama Administration’s HHS mandate is disappointing and yet predictable. The Obama Administration’s assault on religious liberty is not new, but the President has become more bold with every attack, likely because the main stream media has erected a shield of silence to protect him from public scrutiny. Undermining the conscience rights of individuals by requiring people of faith to directly pay for abortion-inducing drugs, despite their religious convictions, Obama has ignited a firestorm among millions of Americans who understand the threats Obama’s mandates pose to our freedom.”
Mathew Staver
Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Dean and Professor, Liberty University School of Law
Director, Liberty Center for Law and Policy
“The simultaneous filing of more than 40 lawsuits by Catholic institutions against Obama's mandate to suppress religious liberty is one of the biggest news stories of the year. An even bigger news story is that the mainstream media tried to suppress it.”
Phylls Schlafly
Founder and President, Eagle Forum
“With the failure to properly address, or even address at all, the most astounding, massive lawsuit ever filed by religious institutions, the mainstream media has removed any doubt regarding their sold-out allegiance to the party of the Democrats. The mainstream media’s intentional and flagrant disregard of the most monumental legal defense in American history by a religious institution, the Catholic Church, against an overreaching, religious-freedom-usurpation by any U.S. administration shows two things. First, it shows a blind allegiance by the mainstream media to the party and causes of the Democrats that far exceeds adherence to anything remotely resembling journalistic integrity. Second, it shows a disdain, disregard and dismissive attitude of decision makers in the mainstream media toward organized Christian religion. It is indeed a sad time in America for those who admired true journalistic integrity.”
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R- 1st District of Texas)
“The Obama Administration’s unprecedented attack on freedom has been met appropriately with an unprecedented response. The mass challenge to the unconstitutional Obama Care mandate filed by Catholic groups this week was the latest in a long list of challenges from faith groups across the country and across the spectrum. These groups – evangelical, Protestant and Catholic – are all united by one purpose: to stop Washington politicians and bureaucrats from punishing people of faith for living according to their convictions. The mainstream media’s resistance to giving these latest lawsuits the proper level and depth of coverage is disappointing, but unfortunately, not surprising. What’s worse is the media’s pervasive and seemingly purposeful distortion of the issue. These suits are not about Catholics and contraception; they are about securing our fundamental freedom, as the legal complaints make abundantly and emphatically clear. It’s time for the media to live up to its responsibility to provide the American people a full, true, and accurate account of what’s at stake in this battle.”
Gregory Baylor, ADF Senior Counsel
“The freedom of religious expression is so foundational to our country our founders wrote it into the first amendment to our Constitution. It is unfortunate the news media don’t seem to recognize the importance of the Catholic Church’s lawsuit as a principled defense of that freedom for people of all religious convictions. Even if you’re generally in favor of government-funded health care, you should be able to understand – and journalists should see the need to report on -- the grave implications of forcing religious institutions and individuals to violate their rights of conscience by forcing them to pay for abortions with their tax dollars, even indirectly through mandatory insurance policies.”
Jim Daly
President
Focus on the Family
PS: Read more in Brent Bozell's column "Shameless Bias By Omission."
- NB Staff's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
That's right, MSM
Submitted by chiefpayne on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:35pm.
KEEP ignoring the Catholics lawsuit...the BIGGEST in US HISTORY.
And the more you try to ignore it, the LARGER it will get. It will become a juggernaut before TOO long.
If a tree falls in a...
Submitted by Paul G on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:48pm.
nevermind.....
1984
Submitted by MidAmerica on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:50pm.
What we are seeing from the networks is a glimpse into our future if the left-wing continues to influence our way of life. They are traitors to Americans and American values.
The heads of the networks need to be hauled before a congressional hearing to explain themselves.
A little change of tense perhaps
Submitted by Don L on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:27pm.
"...is a glimpse into our future if...."
Future? Where have you been? These leftist propaganda agents have been doing this "silence all bad news" game for decades now, except when the America loving side is in power.
I love it when they back themselves into a corner like this.
Submitted by NeoKong on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:53pm.
It is a sign of fear.
The best part is that is that it is futile.
The internet does circles around them for people who seek information as opposed to the people who get it passively by watching a half hour broadcast once a day.
There is never an important story I see on CBS that I haven't already read about by 8:AM on Drudge or elsewhere and they look like hacks by not covering it.
How many times in the past have they refused to cover a story that has is burning up the internet....?
All they are really doing is telling people that they are no longer in the news business and if you truly want information you will have to go elsewhere because they have an election to win.
They are going to follow Obama right over that cliff.
reset
Submitted by MidAmerica on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:53pm.
When President Romney is sworn in the nets who are no longer legitimate news outlets should be excluded from the press pool and from access to the president.
Bad idea
Submitted by Jaxad0127 on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 2:30pm.
That is actually a bad idea due to te precedent it will set. If a Reblican administration can decide to exclude a news organization because of (actual) bias, what's to stop the next Democratic one from doing the same to news organizations that perpetrate (preceived) bias against them? This is why every news network was outraged when Obama's administration tried to exclude Fox News from an event (I can't remember the details right now).
Just let the bad organizations die of their own accord.
already happens
Submitted by MidAmerica on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:04pm.
You don't think Fox News isn't already put at a disadvantage because it doesn't report news according to the Whitehouse's views?
MidAmerica ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:54pm.
precisely !
The kind of thinking that says "We (conservatives) should be better than that - or - We are better than that", seems to be predicated either on the desire to be complimented for taking the high road, which other than self-congratulation will never happen, or on the thought that nasty, heavily and completely one-sided liberal propaganda is an ephemeral creature that actually doesn't have the power to do any real harm.
If that were truly the case, why the need for NewsBusters?
How did Obama ever get to where he is?
Why are reprobate politicians who are sinking this country with an anchor of debt regaled as American patriots looking out for our children's future rather than being excoriated for the self-important jackasses they really are?
While I do not advocate the exclusion of anything in the way of liberal leanings in the media, I do feel that if one is determined to be bound by rules of battle laid down by the opposition - who then disregard those rules themselves - one will continually get his arse thoroughly kicked.
That is much too great a price to be paid for taking the high road, IMO.
MD
I could be mistakend, but
Submitted by Liberallies on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:12pm.
I could be mistakend, but didn't President Bush exclude MSNBC and even NBC out of many an event? I could be wrong. Not from the main pool of repoters in the White House briefing room like Obama wanted to do to Foxnews, but I know MSNBC was left out many times and in many cases the last ones to receive news from the WH during Bush's year.
I 100%, exclude "news" outlets that refuse to be newsoutlets and instead act like mouth pieces for ANY administration.
Either admit you are slanted, biased and opinionated or be excluded.
there was a time in American history when newspapers, newsoutlets did not have a problem stating what party they were for and how slanted they were. Now, Left wing rags like the New York Times and others pretend to play it down the middle, they inform their readers that they are down the middle, when in reality, they are radically to the Left.
I don't care if you are Left or Right, just be honest about it. This isn't a new concept, it worked for a long time, but for whatever reason, now media people pretend to be down the middle when it is obvious their stories, reporting, etc. is not.
die of its own accord?
Submitted by Don L on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:30pm.
I've been waiting for about five decades now. Apparently some folks (or forces)are giving it life support.
Why do the MSM always seem to
Submitted by NCfairandbalanced on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:54pm.
Why do the MSM always seem to sell their souls? Is it for money? Power? Is that more important to them than integrity? I guess so. I remember years ago when the media was biased but yet a little harder to prove, and they would not admit it. Now, it's more apparent, and only the total loons deny such a bias. The rest don't necessarily admit a bias, but they don't deny it, which is essentially the same thing. You would think integrity would be the most important thing, and yet, even basically from their own admission, it's not.
Court Dockets Are Not Silent
Submitted by jimrunner on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 1:55pm.
When the lawsuits from Catholic institutions hit the courts, it will be news that cannot be ignored. Of course the main stream media will spin it into something else. Funny thing about history. When the Pilgrims left Europe to get away from religious intolerance and settled in North America, this became a big thing and religious freedom was celebrated. It appears that 400 years later, the Obama administration wishes to enslave the churches to his teaching and limit the churches' to obey Obama's principles. Please send President Obama copies of "Declaration of Independence for Dummies" and "U.S. Constitution for Dummies."
And in 3 months time....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:14pm.
They will all say "We covered it", as they did with the Obama/Jeremiah Wright/Bill Ayers "non-story".
If the communists don't cover issues they won't have as much history to re-write.
Religious persecution Democrat party style?
Submitted by Don L on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:23pm.
Hmmmm...it seems to this observer that Obama apparently has successfully threatened the media's conscience too, though one could easily argue that the media's conscience has long ago atrophied into nothingness due to lack of use.
Sex Scandals
Submitted by lilium479 on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:24pm.
How many of those priests were homosexuals?.......end of story.
lilium, Yeap, this is the 800
Submitted by Liberallies on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:52pm.
lilium,
Yeap, this is the 800 pound gorrilla in the room that everyone wants to ignore.
The Church became more wordly and it let down its guard. In the USA, not in many other countries, homosexual applicants to seminaries were being admitted over heterosexuals. Those in charge of the seminarians wanted to show how compassionate and loving the Church truly is. Now, the Church is paying the price of putting compassion over morality.
There is something else no one wants to talk about either, countless of Liberal, gutless, anti-war types during most of the 60s and 70s joined the priesthood, why? because becoming a priest was a way to avoid the draft!!!
Imagine if this had been the
Submitted by Liberallies on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 3:58pm.
Imagine if this had been the biggest law suit in history against the Roman Catholic Church, the media outlets, including Foxnews, would be falling all over each other doing story after story, after story, day after day, after day, after day on the law suit.
MRC don't stop reporting on this. Keep it on the front burner!
The United States government, under President Obama, has been hit with the largest law suit of this type in American history. The fact that the media is not reporting it is because they know that law suit has a lot of merit.
I have Liberal friends who are lawyers who have admitted to me that they are almost sure that the Supreme Court is going to declare Obamacare unconstitutional, either all of it, if not at least the mandate that everyone must buy insurance. If neither one of these happens, they are 100% sure that the government is going to lose the law suits from these Catholic institutions.
I just wish protestants would join in. They are speaking against this mandate, but I am unsure why evangelicans and other protestants have not joined in the law suits since it affects them too.
Oh and by the way, I know several Catholic base institutions, schools, organizations that help young boys become great Catholic men through seminars, after school activities, summer camps, etc. who are getting ready to drop health insurance for their employees.
It's not...
Submitted by retrocon on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:00pm.
It's not that they are not going to report on it... no, they are just aligning themselves, and the administration in how to spin it.
I think it caught them off guard (how, i don't know), and now, they're looking for the spin words, probably doing focus groups, and talking to their marketing folks.
Remember the Alinsky methods, they will have to quickly divert this to something else centered on the Catholic church. The sex scandals? Maybe, maybe not, i wouldn't be surprised to see their tax exempt status challenged, especially for hospitals and other ancillary church organizations, not central to worship only use.
Prediction:
"The administration today announced that it would be reviewing the tax-exempt status of religiously affiliated hospitals. The IRS has ruled that since these institutions are subject to the new healthcare mandates, they cannot be characterized as churches, so they cannot be afforded tax-exempt status."
What mainstream media?
Submitted by russedav on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:07pm.
It's hard to imagine why these silly saps call these Dem whore story spikers "mainstream." Lamestream, certainly. Drive-by media, of course, but no way mainstream. It is interesting to note that these religious leaders thankfully are do not really represent the more circumspect members of the Church who are more interested in what Jesus wants first before considering the machinations of politcs
God save us.
Again with the MSM and "media"
Submitted by gwalt on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:35pm.
They have names and faces---- Brian, Diane, Scott, George, Matt----- call them out by face and name. Stop calling them the faceless MSM.
Besides, mainstream? They represent 17% of the country. Mainstream is Conservatism at 42% or higher. Throw in right leaning independents and Boortz Libertarians and you have a huge "mainstream". They have been reporting leftism/Socialism for so long as "mainstream" it no longer applies.
"A lot of briefing for a 2 hr. special with Dan Rather. Saw the show & wonder why we bothered". Ronald Reagan
MSM ProObama Hackarama
Submitted by celator on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:44pm.
Not reporting this huge story as it deserves to be reported is another example of the MSM's Protect Obama At Any Cost hackarama.
However, the MSM has just uncovered another dark Romney story, and this is a big one. Once, when Romney was six years, he forgot to say "thank you" to his mother after she gave him a cookie. How can this man be President of the United States????
STOP THE PRESSES!!