Teasing an upcoming report that amounted to Obama administration propaganda on Thursday’s NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie proclaimed: “Fighting for family leave....How one mom's courageous battle for more time at home made it all the way to the White House.”
In the segment that followed, correspondent Sheinelle Jones declared: “Amber Scorah's infant son died on his very first day of daycare. But for Amber, the issue at hand isn't daycare safety, but another larger concern faced by many new moms and dads....One woman is turning her personal catastrophe into a public crusade. And later today, she's getting help from the White House.”
Without explaining the circumstances of the child’s death, Jones jumped right into promoting liberal talking points on the issue:
Amber says her employer's policy of three months of paid family leave is generous compared to what many Americans receive, and that's the problem. The United States is one of just four countries in the world with no mandatory paid family leave. The other three, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea. And while parents working at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google enjoy extended paid leave, 87% of private sector workers receive none whatsoever.
A soundbite followed of Washington Post reporter Brigid Schulte declaring: “Many of these countries have had paid parental leave, not just for women, but for men, for decades. It certainly hasn't broken the bank. Businesses have not gone out of business.”
A clip also ran of Scorah demanding: “As a society, we should be encouraging women to stay in the work force, not doing everything we can to make it nearly impossible for them to have children and stay in the work force.”
Jones noted: “The issue even making its way into the 2016 campaign.” A brief soundbite followed of Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina objecting to the policy: “For the government to tell others how to do things when the government hasn't gotten its basic house in order, is not only ineffective, it’s hypocritical.”
That was the only criticism offered in the piece, followed immediately by Hillary Clinton announcing: “We need to recognize the incredible challenges that so many parents face, particularly working moms.”
Jones elaborated on the White House effort to push the government mandate:
As for the current residents of the White House, Michelle Obama was so touched by Amber's tragic story, she sent a letter of condolence. And now, the nation's highest office is calling for change. Today, Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is teaming with Spotify and announcing a push for states to legislate mandatory paid family leave, hoping to avoid future stress for families or even heartbreak.
Turning to co-host Matt Lauer after the taped report, Jones noted: “Amber shared her full story with The New York Times parenting column, Motherlode. Listen, parents complain about this all the time. She was just saying she wants the option for more time and she wants her job protected, so.” Lauer replied: “She's a strong voice on this.” Jones agreed: “Very strong.”
Lauer urged viewers to weigh-in on the topic: “For more on Amber’s story and the discussion it has sparked, head to today.com.” Guthrie chimed in: “I hope it get’s the conversation going.”
Here is a full transcript of the November 19 segment:
8:00 AM ET TEASE:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Coming up, fighting for family leave.
AMBER SCORAH: As a society, we should be encouraging women to stay in the work force, not doing everything we can to make it nearly impossible for them.
GUTHRIE: How one mom's courageous battle for more time at home made it all the way to the White House.
8:06 AM ET SEGMENT:
MATT LAUER: Now, we're going to talk about another story that's going to really impact you. One mom's heartbreaking story bringing new attention to a push for paid parental leave.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: That's right. Today’s Sheinelle Jones is here and has got the story. Sheinelle, good morning.
SHEINELLE JONES: Good morning to you. Amber Scorah's infant son died on his very first day of daycare. But for Amber, the issue at hand isn't daycare safety, but another larger concern faced by many new moms and dads.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Fighting for Family Leave; Baby’s Death Pushes Mom to Make a Difference]
JONES: One woman is turning her personal catastrophe into a public crusade. And later today, she's getting help from the White House. Amber Scorah’s five-month-old son Karl died in July, less than three hours after she had dropped him off at daycare for the very first time.
AMBER SCORAH: There's no words to really describe the horror and just the disbelief.
JONES: Like many parents, Amber says she was hesitant of handing her infant son over to the care of strangers at such a vulnerable age.
SCORAH: When the child is that small, especially in the infant stage, they almost feel like an extension of your body.
JONES: Amber says her employer's policy of three months of paid family leave is generous compared to what many Americans receive, and that's the problem. The United States is one of just four countries in the world with no mandatory paid family leave. The other three, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea. And while parents working at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google enjoy extended paid leave, 87% of private sector workers receive none whatsoever.
BRIGID SCHULTE [“OVERWHELMED” AUTHOR]: Many of these countries have had paid parental leave, not just for women, but for men, for decades. It certainly hasn't broken the bank. Businesses have not gone out of business.
SCORAH: As a society, we should be encouraging women to stay in the work force, not doing everything we can to make it nearly impossible for them to have children and stay in the work force.
JONES: The issue even making its way into the 2016 campaign.
JAKE TAPPER [CNN]: You're opposed to any kind of mandated paid maternity leave. Why?
CARLY FIORINA: For the government to tell others how to do things when the government hasn't gotten its basic house in order, is not only ineffective, it’s hypocritical.
HILLARY CLINTON: We need to recognize the incredible challenges that so many parents face, particularly working moms.
JONES: As for the current residents of the White House, Michelle Obama was so touched by Amber's tragic story, she sent a letter of condolence. And now, the nation's highest office is calling for change. Today, Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is teaming with Spotify and announcing a push for states to legislate mandatory paid family leave, hoping to avoid future stress for families or even heartbreak.
Amber shared her full story with The New York Times parenting column, Motherlode. Listen, parents complain about this all the time. She was just saying she wants the option for more time and she wants her job protected, so.
LAUER: She's a strong voice on this.
JONES: Very strong. It’s a heartbreaking story.
LAUER: Sheinelle, thank you very much. For more on Amber’s story and the discussion it has sparked, head to today.com.
GUTHRIE: I hope it get’s the conversation going.
