Jurors found abortionist Kermit Gosnell guilty on Monday of three first degree murder charges. In the eight weeks since the trial began, ABC has completely ignored the case, offering no coverage, discussion or mention of Gosnell and the gory details. It's not as though the network lacks interest in shocking criminal trials. In that same 56 day period, Good Morning America has devoted a staggering 187 minutes-- or 70 segments-- to sensational trials such as the Jodi Arias and Amanda Knox cases.
Over eight weeks, GMA featured Arias, who was convicted of slitting the throat of her ex-boyfriend, 38 times, more than 50 percent of the network's criminal trial coverage. Yet, World News, Nightline and GMA skipped Gosnell "snipping" the necks of newborn babies. Will ABC break the news blackout and cover the verdict?
On April 14, the Washington Post investigated the media’s lack of interest in Gosnell. Representatives for CBS and NBC offered comments about lack of coverage and plans to cover the story in the future. ABC was silent. The Post’s Paul Farhi succinctly summarized, "An ABC News representative, Julie Townsend, declined comment."
Although it's a bit dated, a 1997 poll did find that 97 percent of reporters agreed that "it is a woman’s right to decide whether or not to have an abortion."
Is it too much to ask that ABC's journalists and producers cover a story that conflicts with their pro-abortion beliefs? Considering that they've devoted over three hours to other shocking trials, it's the very least the network can do.
For more on Gosnell, see a May 3 NewsBusters story.
