It’s something you maybe never thought you would see on CNN, but during Sunday’s Reliable Sources, host Brian Stelter invited on Catherine Hadro, host of “Pro-Life Weekly” on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), to discuss how pro-life issues were covered by the media. During her time, she exposed how the liberal media makes false claims about pro-life laws and used labels to portray pro-lifers negatively.
After first establishing the difference between Catholic news outlets like Hadro’s and larger conservative outlets like Fox News, Stelter wanted to know what she thought the media was leaving out of their coverage of pro-life legislation.
Hadro first noted that she planned to have a woman on her show who was conceived after her mother was raped. Noting: “I have not been seeing a lot of coverage any voices like hers, so we will be bringing those kind of voices onto EWTN.”
Next, Hadro sought to set the record straight on what Alabama’s pro-life law actually did, because there were a lot of lies and misinformation being circulated by the liberal media. “But there's this egregious mistake that Alabama would incriminate women, and that is just not true at all. This was being pushed in groups like Business Insider, Glamour magazine, but it’s not true,” she explained.
Stelter appeared to be at a loss and wondered if Hadro thought those outlets had “misread the bill”. “I think they're misreading the bill. Maybe not reading it at all. I mean, it’s only three pages and it states it perfectly clear that women will not be incriminated, it will only be abortionists,” she clarified.
In an attempt to press Hadro on the popularity of abortions, Stelter cited an arguably outdated Pew Research poll that found: “Even among Catholics, it’s split there, 51 percent of Catholics say it should be legal in all or most cases. Overall in the United States 58 percent.”
Meanwhile, there was a Marist/Knights of Columbus poll from January that found only 15 percent of America supported abortions “any time during pregnancy.” That’s compared to a combined 74 percent of respondents who wanted some kind restriction on abortion, such as first-trimester and rape, incest, and life of the mother. 10 percent said abortion “should never be permitted.”
“If I’m not able to cover one specific [pro-life] bill, they ask, ‘hey, how come you haven't covered this?’ So, they really do keep me on my toes and they do prioritize life in the voting booth absolutely as well,” Hadro said speaking for EWTN viewers.
Moments later, the Catholic journalist called out the AP Stylebook for directing journalists to paint pro-lifers in a negative light:
If you look at the way they define “pro-life”, they refer to us as anti-abortion. Whereas they describe pro-choicers as pro-abortion rights as opposed to abortion advocates. So they paint those who perpetuate abortion in this positive light. Whereas, those who uphold the sanctity of life in this negative light as “anti-abortion”. And while, I'm certainty anti-abortion, I believe in the sanctity of every human life, especially – definitely those in the womb.
Stelter shockingly admitted that CNN had similar editorial rules. “It’s interesting, at CNN we're discouraged from saying ‘pro-life’ or ‘pro-choice’,” he said. “People can describe themselves however they want, but for us, it's abortion rights advocates. Right? There is other language around this to avoid ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’ as the two terms.”
During an interview with conservative thought leader Ben Shapiro earlier in the month, Stelter lamented that religion was “oftentimes a blind spot for the American media” and an “ongoing disappointment” for him. Perhaps this was his way of trying to correct that. Hopefully, we see more of this.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Reliable Sources
May 19, 2019
11:37:56 a.m. Eastern(…)
BRIAN STELTER: What are you focusing on on your program that you think is lost in the – going to use the word “mainstream” even though I hate the word—the mainstream news coverage of this topic. You know, the nightly newscast coverage of this topic.
CATHERINE HADRO (EWTN): We’ll be full of lots of things we need to cover. This week I plan to welcome a woman on the program who actually was conceived in rape. I have not been seeing a lot of coverage any voices like hers, so we will be bringing those kind of voices on to EWTN.
And I do want to highlight one thing that I think is an egregious mistake. I've been seeing in a lot of mainstream media. And again, I don't mean to belittle or bully mainstream media, I don’t think they are the bad guys, if you will.
But there's this egregious mistake that Alabama would incriminate women, and that is just not true at all. This was being pushed in groups like Business Insider, Glamour magazine, but it’s not true.
STELTER: So you think they’re misreading the bill?
HADRO: I think they're misreading the bill. Maybe not reading it at all. I mean, it’s only three pages and it states it perfectly clear that women will not be incriminated, it will only be abortionists.
STELTER: What do you see from your audience, about what they want to know more about? I was looking at a poll from Pew from last September asking whether abortion should be legal in most cases – in all or most cases. Even among Catholics, it’s split there, 51 percent of Catholics say it should be legal in all or most cases. Overall in the United States 58 percent. Do you sense that divide within your broadcasting world?
HADRO: So, I think EWTN viewers are particularly loyal Catholics and are attending mass regularly and know that they need to prioritize life. When I hear back from viewers, they keep me on my toes. They are closely following pro-life legislation. If I’m not able to cover one specific bill, they ask, “hey, how come you haven't covered this?” So, they really do keep me on my toes and they do prioritize life in the voting booth absolutely as well.
STELTER: When you say prioritize life, though, I think what others hear about that is they're so focused on the 40 weeks of a pregnancy. And not the 40 or 80 years of a person's life after that.
HADRO: No. I mean, there's this misconception that the pro-lifers are only pro-birth and that is absolutely not true. We want to uphold the sanctity of every life. Which brings me back to this point to, the AP Stylebook.
If you look at the way they define “pro-life”, they refer to us as anti-abortion. Whereas they describe pro-choicers as pro-abortion rights as opposed to abortion advocates. So they paint those who perpetuate abortion in this positive light. Whereas, those who uphold the sanctity of life in this negative light as “anti-abortion”. And while, I'm certainty anti-abortion, I believe in the sanctity of every human life, especially – definitely those in the womb.
STELTER: It’s interesting, at CNN we're discouraged from saying “pro-life” or “pro-choice”. People can describe themselves however they want, but for us, it's abortion rights advocates. Right? There is other language around this to avoid “pro-life” and “pro-choice” as the two terms.
HADRO: And so, of course, mainstream media, if you will, is going to follow what the AP Stylebook says. But I think that speaks all the more reason why shows like EWTN Pro-Life Weekly are so important, so we can give a voice to pro-lifers.
(…)
