Associated Press Embraces Bias and Supports Abortionists in News Coverage
This clip is from the Associated Press stylebook. It is used by newspapers across the country to provide guidelines in how stories should be written. By and large, many guidelines are neutral and simple are matters of style (i.e. capitalization, punctuation, etc). However, in this one entry, standing unique in comparison to the whole guide, the AP picks sides in the abortion debate and insists that the pro-abortion side be the one supported in news coverage.
If Planned Parenthood wants to use pro-choice and anti-abortion, that’s there perogative. However, the Associated Press, as journalists, pretend to be objective in their reporting. In this case, they choose propaganda terms to portray those against abortion in the worst light and those who support it in the best light. Framing, apparently, is not just for politicians anymore.
The particular interesting part of this guideline is that it is objectively false. The words pro-life and anti-abortion are simply not interchangeable. The largest pro-life group in the United States is the Roman Catholic Church with roughly 60 million members. Evangelical Christians, for as much press as the get, are a pittance in comparison to this number. Further, evangelicals and other Christian churches very quickly get highly variable on the issue of abortion, or for that matter, any “difficult” theological concept.
The US Catholic Church terms pro-life as including not only abortion, but contraception, capital punishment, euthanasia, stem cell research, cloning, and reproductive technologies. To pigeonhole the Catholic Church’s prolife stance as simply being against abortion is to disregard factual reporting and adopting lockstep propagandist talking points from Planned Parenthood. Lobbyists are free to do this, objective journalists should not be.
The media, at large, is just as guilty as the Associated Press on this point. They will not use the term pro-life if it can be avoided and in so doing, they give up objective reporting and become lobbyists. Here is a clear case were bias can be proven the next time someone suggests there is no bias in the press.
With your given definitions of pro-life and anti-abortion, stories on abortion struggles actually probably should use the term “anti-abortion” - most stories regarding the fight over abortion don’t imply anything about the anti-abortion side’s views on, say, capital punishment or stem cell research. It’s also not quite accurate to assume that all anti-abortion members of the Catholic Church are pro-life. I personally know a number of anti-abortion Catholics who are just fine with the death penalty, and many who are fine with stem cell research.
Before I read your article, I was inclined to agree that this was bias in framing. However, after your explanation, I feel that the AP really made the right decision.
Comment by Jon O. | September 2, 2006
How is opposing the death penalty, as US bishops have done for 25 years, pro-life? We need to make murderers aware of the price of their crime. “To show mercy to the unjust is unmerciful to the just.”
By the Catholic Church’s definition, then, I’m not pro-life, although I’m against abortion and fought with words to preserve Terry Schiavo’s life.
Comment by Brent | September 4, 2006
Wow. I’m assuming this is true…and if so then it’s the perfect example of subtle bias, which is precisely the most effective brand.
Comment by Billy Joe Mills | September 4, 2006
The AP Stylebook Leans To The Left…
I was surfing the net through Blogsoldiers the other day when a site had a bit about the AP Stylebook and briefing on Media Law. I wish I could remember the website where I found this but I have had a bit of trouble recalling it. If I come across it …
Trackback by BIG DOGS WEBLOG | September 5, 2006
“The words pro-life and anti-abortion are simply not interchangeable.”
Isn’t this the entire point of having guidelines for the AP to not use the term pro-life when talking about a person who is solely against abortion?
Comment by Anon | September 6, 2006
I’ve been a regular reader since first discovering your blog. I particularly enjoy your perspective on life issues and hope that by awarding you the Golden Aardvark Aaward, others will also profit from your writing.
Comment by Orycteropus Afer | September 7, 2006