CNN Hypes Planned Parenthood's Claims of 'Bullying by the Right'

February 2nd, 2012 12:10 PM

Normally, when a leading charity cuts ties to a large non-profit organization, the news will not spark a media controversy. But when the Susan G. Komen Foundation severed financial ties to Planned Parenthood due to Congressional investigations into the organization, CNN hyped Planned Parenthood's cries of foul play and "bullying from the right."

Correspondent Mary Snow aired a pretty one-sided piece on Wednesday including statements from Planned Parenthood's president Cecile Richards, evidence supporting her claims of right-wing "bullying," and even vitriolic Facebook posts decrying the de-funding. [Video below the break. Click here for audio.]

"Planned Parenthood blames bullying by the right," Snow first reported. The group's president Cecile Richards later told CNN of an "ugly and aggressive campaign by right-wing organizations to bully the Komen Foundation and keep them from working with Planned Parenthood."

Meanwhile, Snow interviewed no supporter of the de-funding in her report. She aired a single statement from the Susan G. Komen Foundation and quoted a pro-life group that supported the foundation's separation from Planned Parenthood.




Snow helped Richards' cause by listing the pro-life group as having "targeted" the Komen Foundation, just after a Richards soundbite castigated "right-wing" groups for bullying the foundation. Snow also reported ties the foundation has to the Republican Party, which is leading a Congressional investigation of Planned Parenthood.

And at the end of the report, Snow ended on a positive note for Planned Parenthood. "Now, more than 4,000 people have weighed in on the charity's Facebook page, and meantime, Planned Parenthood tells us tonight that it's raised more than $400,000 in the last 24 hours," she reported.

For a full transcript, click here.

<<Fed up with how the media are actively promoting groups like Planned Parenthood? Help us take on media bias by donating to NewsBusters (there's also a PayPal option on that page). Without the support of our readers, NewsBusters would not be possible.>>