Each year, the March for Life is by far the largest annual rally in Washington, D.C., and each year, it’s met with a near-black-out from major media. But for 2014, there’s a way for the pro-life movement to change that. In a new initiative to combat media censorship on abortion, the Media Research Center (MRC) is inviting marchers to donate video for a documentary on the movement the media hide.
In 2013, the networks spent a mere 17 seconds on the half million participants at the 40th March for Life (in comparison, they spent 521 times more on the Manti Te’o football scandal). The life censorship only continued with the trial of Kermit Gosnell and beyond. Simply put, the old media fear giving pro-lifers the coverage a movement of this size and vitality deserves.
In response, MRC will produce a film from a compilation of amateur March for Life footage. If you plan to attend the March as an individual, with a church group or other organization, please document your experience and allow us to share it with the world. Press release below:
MRC March for Life Documentary Submission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9, 2014
CONTACT: Katie Yoder at kyoder@mrc.org
The Media Research Center (MRC), in conjunction with national pro-life organizations, is producing a documentary on the March for Life to fight against the media censorship on abortion -- and we need your help! To pull this off, we’re asking pro-lifers to contribute by donating their footage preparing for/attending the 41st March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Who: YOU (the pro-life movement)
What: A campaign by the Media Research Center’s Culture and Media Institute (CMI) to unite the pro-life movement by creating a documentary from clips by pro-lifers across the nation preparing for and attending the 41st March for Life.
How: Take footage with your camera or phone and send it to us through Google Drive (for those who have Gmail) or upload to YouTube and email us the link at MarchForLife@mrc.org!
What we’re looking for:
- Footage of you and/or your friends looking into the camera (either individually or as a group) and saying, “I am pro-life.”
- Footage of you and your friends briefly saying why you are pro-life or why you are attending the March
- Behind-the-scenes footage of you and/or your group preparing for/attending the March. This can include footage of creating signs, your bus ride into D.C., planning meetings, marching to the Supreme Court, etc. Be creative!
Deadline: We will begin compiling videos as soon as the March finishes. Please send your footage no later than January 29, 2014. MRC will publish the documentary online.
Last request: Please tell your family/friends to submit their footage too by sharing this release via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and other social media mediums.
Please direct comments and questions to Katie Yoder at kyoder@mrc.org or post your inquiries to our Facebook page.
DISCLAIMER: By submitting video, each participant agrees to the MRC’s use of participant's information and video footage. Each participant also agrees that he/she originally owns all rights to his/her video. The MRC does not guarantee the use of every video submitted.
The Media Research Center, the nation’s premier media watchdog, is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
— Katie Yoder is Staff Writer, Joe and Betty Anderlik Fellow in Culture and Media at the Media Research Center. Follow Katie Yoder on Twitter.
