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Politico and Atlantic.com’s turn to explain Gosnell blackout
Get Religion ^ | April 13, 2013 | Mollie

Posted on 04/13/2013 3:20:04 PM PDT by NYer

>

Earlier I shared what happened when I asked an AP reporter and a Washington Post reporter about their personal Gosnell blackouts.

It was so illuminating that I decided to check out a few other media outlets. I headed over to Politico. Since Washington Post reporter Sarah Kliff tried to justify her lack of coverage of the Gosnell trial by calling it a local crime story, I thought I’d add other local stories into my search. Thanks for the idea! So here’s what I found out. Politico‘s search engine pops out 165 results on Trayvon Martin (local crime story in Florida), 94 stories on Komen, 233 on Sandra Fluke and 866 on Todd Akin.

Guess how many stories Politico has published on Gosnell.

Did you guess zero? You win!

I’d love to ask the reporters in question about the shocking disparity but I noticed that the reporters who wrote some of the histrionic Komen coverage aren’t even around any more. Politico is known for its turnover. So I should probably ask editors. Once I figure out who I should talk to (I’m also trying to find Kliff’s editor since she has revealed some problems with her ability to cover this issue) and will let you know how it goes.

Which brings us to my last anecdote. I follow the prolific tweeter Garance Franke-Ruta from Atlantic.com. Her twitter bio says “Senior editor, @TheAtlantic. Your early warning system. Politics, media, breaking.” I know she loved loved loved to tweet about Fluke and Akin and Komen and all that. Couldn’t get enough of it. But I hadn’t seen anything on Gosnell from her. I plugged it into the Alantic.com’s search engine and there was a story about Gosnell! I clicked on it. It wasn’t a story so much as a very brief mention in a lengthy roundup of the day’s news. Back in March.

And that was it. Atlantic.com hadn’t covered Gosnell at all. But did they cover Trayvon Martin? (247 hits) What about Komen? (97) Fluke? (131) Should I ask about Akin? (296). So I asked her about it.

Here’s what she said (before deleting it later):

Hi Mollie. I have not had a blackout on him; I picked up the story in March and expect to do so again at some point.

See if you can find her coverage of Gosnell here. It’s a brief snippet of a New York Times story on Gosnell from the start the trial. It runs 155 words. And the first sentence is wrong (newborn babies aren’t fetuses). But whatever. I think we all must agree with her point. She briefly mentioned Gosnell in a link round-up in March. What more do you people want?

I suggested that a brief mention in a link-fest wasn’t quite on the same par as the top 8 hits (out of, remember, 97) on Komen. Check out these headlines:

Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigned Over Planned Parenthood
Feb 2, 2012 … Sources with knowledge of the Koman process said recent policies were adopted specifically to cut funding for Planned Parenthood.

Komen VP Karen Handel Quits Over Planned Parenthood Dispute
Feb 7, 2012 … The one-time gubernatorial candidate from Georgia who ran on a pro-life platform admitted she wanted funding cut to the network of clinics.

An Inside Look at Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Spin Machine …
Feb 3, 2012 … Internal documents circulated by Komen officials instructing employees how to respond when confronted with questions about funding.

Who Bullied the Susan G. Komen Foundation Into Cutting Funding …
Feb 10, 2012 … Karen Handel, the recently-departed Komen VP contradicts her organization in explaining the reasoning for defunding Planned Parenthood.

Why Did Susan G. Komen Pull the Plug on Planned Parenthood …
Feb 2, 2012 … The two organizations seemed like natural allies. Why cut ties now?

How the Church and Susan Komen Place Themselves Before …
Feb 11, 2012 … Ultimately, Americans want the freedom to make personal health decisions on their own, without the various institutions around us.

The Komen Foundation’s Black Eye – Linda Hirshman – The Atlantic
Feb 1, 2012 … By no longer donating to organizations “under investigation,” the Susan G. Komen Foundation is replacing its pink ribbons with a black list.

Who Is Behind Susan G. Komen’s Split From Planned Parenthood …
Feb 1, 2012 … The mysterious decision by the leading breast-cancer charity to stop funding the country’s most prominent reproductive-health provider.

Those are just the first eight hits. So pardon me if I’m just a tad less than impressed. Since Franke-Ruta is “senior editor” there and known for covering abortion-related stories, I kept asking for an explanation that made sense.

She responded, “I don’t know why you’re acting like I assigned every Atlantic article ever written,” deleted her initial tweet and then ignored the reader deluge of questions to her about the disparate coverage.

I asked her who I should be speaking with about the editorial decisions and she has declined to answer.

It’s all very instructive. How did we get a media that is choosing to hide this story? Through many individual actions. How do they maintain the system? Lack of transparency and lack of accountability certainly help.

One last thing. The image above is the search engine for Politico. If you type in Gosnell, you’ll see two interesting things. One is that they have literally no coverage at all. The other is that it’s the most searched for news topic. Talk about serving your customers, eh? That’s some commitment to the blackout.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Local News; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: abortion; blackout; deathpanels; gosnell; gosnellblackout; kermitgosnell; lindahirshman; media; obamacare; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; plannedparenthood; politico; sandraflukel; sarahkliff; susankomen; theatlantic; toddakin; trayvonmartin; washingtonpost; zerocare

1 posted on 04/13/2013 3:20:04 PM PDT by NYer
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To: wagglebee; little jeremiah; narses

Ping!


2 posted on 04/13/2013 3:20:30 PM PDT by NYer (Beware the man of a single book - St. Thomas Aquinas)
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To: NYer; Finatic; fellowpatriot; MarineMom613; Ron C.; wolfman23601; ColdOne; navymom1; Pat4ever; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.

3 posted on 04/13/2013 3:24:05 PM PDT by narses
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To: NYer

Great research work by Mollie and company

This Gosnell guy killed more kids than Adam Lana...but gets a pass from pro-Abort media


4 posted on 04/13/2013 3:24:59 PM PDT by SeminoleCounty (GOP - Greenlighting Obama's Programs)
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To: NYer; napscoordinator

Yellow Journalism is alive and well among the Reds in the pressrooms.

And the school shooting is among the local stories they hijacked for national politicking.


5 posted on 04/13/2013 3:28:19 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: SeminoleCounty
Gosnell was a SERIAL KILLER who murdered only blacks. Lanza was a MASS MURDERER who killed only whites.

See the difference?

Everyone can see that difference. They are really, really, really different.

Oh, Lanza didn't cut off feet as keepsakes. Gosnell did. Another subtle difference, but still very real.

I"m sure the leftwingtards understand these things ~ or maybe they are just as crazy .... --- .-.. -.-- / ... .... .. - / -... .- - -- .- -.

6 posted on 04/13/2013 3:35:06 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: NYer
Even FoxNews only has 4 mentions in the last 4 weeks, although three are from the last week.
7 posted on 04/13/2013 3:41:33 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: NYer

Doctor ‘beheaded’ 100 babies born alive during late-term abortions at clinic, former employee tells court

Michael Higgins | 13/04/12 | Last Updated: 13/04/12 5:14 PM ET
More from Michael Higgins
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion doctor who catered to minorities, immigrants and poor women at the Women’s Medical Society, is on trial for murder.
Yong Kim / Philadelphia Daily News / The Associated Press fileDr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion doctor who catered to minorities, immigrants and poor women at the Women’s Medical Society, is on trial for murder.

Horrifying details of the work inside an abortion clinic — allegations of babies born alive and then almost beheaded when their spinal cords were cut — have been told to a Philadelphia jury.

This week, the “House of Horrors” murder trial of doctor Kermit Gosnell heard from one of his assistants, who said on five occasions she saw babies moving and breathing following abortions.

Ashley Baldwin, who began working at the clinic when she was just 15, said in one case she heard a baby “screeching” after the procedure, the Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Dr. Gosnell, 72, is on trial for capital murder, charged with killing a female patient and seven newborns at his inner-city clinic. He denies the charges.
Grand Jury report
Grand Jury reportKarnamaya Mongar and her husband, Ash. On Nov. 19, 2009, she suffered a fatal drug overdose during an abortion procedure at the Women’s Medical Society owned by Dr. Kermit B. Gosnell in West Philadelphia.

The case is also provoking questions on why the mainstream media in the U.S. isn’t reporting on the case, which involves alleged murder, racism and the abuse of women.

Conor Friedersdorf, writing in The Atlantic said, “To sum up, this story has numerous elements any one of which would normally make it a major story. And setting aside conventions, which are flawed, this ought to be a big story on the merits.

“The news value is undeniable. Why isn’t it being covered more?”

Kristen Powers, writing in USA Today, said, “Let me state the obvious. This should be front page news. When Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke [for advocating insurance coverage of contraceptives], there was non-stop media hysteria.

“Yet, accusations of babies having their heads severed — a major human rights story if there ever was one — doesn’t make the cut.

“The deafening silence of too much of the media, once a force for justice in America, is a disgrace.”
Related

Abortion clinic sometimes snipped spines to kill babies, assistant tells doctor’s murder trial
Barbara Kay: Abortion ‘House of Horrors’ reflected pro-Choice views on ending life
‘Standard practice was to slay babies’: Death-penalty murder trial begins of 72-year-old abortion doctor


8 posted on 04/13/2013 4:12:17 PM PDT by B212
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To: NYer
Am posting the following article because the local paper providing limited coverage of the trial already heavily reedited and sanitized this article but accidentally failed to delete the original. Links to both versions are at the bottom:

Philly abortion clinic workers saw few options

Associated Press |

They say they were just doing what the boss trained them to do.

But eight former employees of a run-down West Philadelphia abortion clinic now face prison time for the work they did for Dr. Kermit Gosnell. Three have pleaded guilty to third-degree murder.

And Gosnell, 72, is on trial in the deaths of a patient and seven babies allegedly born alive.

In testimony at the capital murder trial this past month, an unlicensed doctor and untrained aides described long, chaotic days at the clinic. They said they performed grueling, often gruesome work for little more than minimum wage, paid by Gosnell under the table.

But for most, it was the best job they could find.

Unlicensed doctor Stephen Massof, 50, of Pittsburgh, said he could not get a U.S. medical residency after finishing medical school in Grenada and went to work for Gosnell as a "backup plan" after six years running a bar. He admitted killing two babies by snipping their necks, as he said Gosnell taught him to do.

Eileen O'Neill, 56, had worked as a doctor in Louisiana but relinquished her medical license in 2000 to deal with "post-traumatic stress syndrome," according to her 2011 grand jury testimony. She is the only employee on trial with Gosnell, fighting false billing and racketeering charges.

According to one colleague, O'Neill was increasingly upset at the line of people who came to Gosnell's adjacent medical clinic for painkillers. And she was angry that he wasn't helping her regain her license.

"She said: `All I do is break my neck for him all the time, and he never does anything for me. I'm going to have to do something about it,'" front desk worker Tina Baldwin testified this week, recalling a conversation with O'Neill.

However, O'Neill, like many others, stayed on at the clinic until a February 2010 drug raid, which was spawned by Gosnell's high-volume distribution of OxyContin and other painkillers.

Gosnell, once a gifted student in his working-class black neighborhood, had put his medical school education to work as a 1970s-era champion of drug treatment and legal abortions. But 30 years later, conditions inside his bustling clinic and his old neighborhood had deteriorated, according to trial testimony.

Defense lawyer Jack McMahon argues that no babies were born alive, and unforeseen complications caused the overdose death of the woman who died.

"Just because the place was less than state-of-the-art doesn't make him a murderer," McMahon said in opening statements last month.

Baldwin, like colleague Latosha Lewis, had trained to be a medical assistant at a for-profit vocational school before going to work for Gosnell in 2002. She handed out drugs at the front desk to induce labor, while Lewis helped perform ultrasounds, administer medications and deliver babies. Lewis worked from 10 a.m. until well after midnight, making $7 to $10 an hour.

"Gosnell recklessly cut corners, allowed patients to choose their medication based on ability to pay, and provided abysmal care _ all to maximize his profit," prosecutors wrote in the 2011 grand jury report. "He was not serving his community. Gosnell ran a criminal enterprise, motivated by greed."

Baldwin now faces at least a year in prison, and perhaps much longer, after pleading guilty to federal drug charges and state charges that include corruption of a minor.

Her daughter, Ashley, went to work for Gosnell when she was 15 because she was interested in medicine. Before long, she was working past midnight _ and missing school _ to help the nocturnal doctor perform abortions. More than once, she said, she saw a baby move after the procedure. Gosnell would explain to his teenage trainee that the movements were a last reflex during the death process.

Ashley Baldwin, now 22, was one of the few clinic workers not charged after the FBI raid.

Two other clinic workers had family ties to Gosnell.

Elizabeth Hampton as a child had been in foster care with Gosnell's third wife, Pearl. And Adrienne Moton, a classmate of Gosnell's daughter, moved in with the family as a teenager because of problems at home. Both have pleaded guilty in the case but hope to get reduced terms in exchange for their cooperation. And Pearl Gosnell, a licensed cosmetologist, pleaded guilty to performing illegal, late-term abortions.

The others convicted include clinic workers Lynda Williams and Sherry West. Williams was hired to clean instruments but soon helped anesthetize patients, perform ultrasounds and carry out abortions, cutting babies in the back of the neck. She has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, which carries a 20- to 40-year prison sentence.

West, 53, had been a longtime surgical technician at the Veterans Administration but quit in 2007 after contracting Hepatitis C. A year later, still waiting on disability benefits, she went to work for Gosnell.

West has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for administering drugs to the refugee from Bhutan who died of a drug overdose during a 2009 abortion, but she testified this week she has her doubts about her plea.

"It was so confusing," she said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I didn't know what to do."

Link to the above article:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/state/pa/philly-abortion-clinic-workers-saw-few-options/article_b59561b1-7181-5ce3-ab94-1555ec7e7ffa.html

The following is a link to the sanitized version of the above article posted one day later:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/ap/state/pa/philly-abortion-clinic-workers-saw-few-options/article_0d55959d-de85-57fd-8b78-277057912ff5.html

9 posted on 04/13/2013 4:38:56 PM PDT by fso301
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To: NYer

One thing you won’t see are “news” stories editorializing about how “America’s abortion culture” made this atrocity possible.

To most leftists the difference between abortion vs infanticide is a boring technicality - it’s all good to them. Of course, we also see little difference but to people who have civilized values it’s all bad.


10 posted on 04/13/2013 6:01:27 PM PDT by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: PapaBear3625

“Even” Fox News? Get real.


11 posted on 04/13/2013 7:10:19 PM PDT by Romulus
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The media is a pro-abortion death cult. It finds the mass murder of innocent early stage human beings a good that must be shielded at all costs. The media is over: it has no credibility and is nothing more than a spokesman for the most depraved, degenerate voices in American life. We don't need them and should not read or watch them. Thank God for the Internet
12 posted on 04/13/2013 7:32:21 PM PDT by Godwin1
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To: fso301
Well ... two stories slipped through the blockade. Thanks for posting the links. This line from the story:

They say they were just doing what the boss trained them to do.

That is the same testimony given by the nazis during the Nuremberg trials. Any good reporter should have pointed this out.

13 posted on 04/13/2013 7:36:11 PM PDT by NYer (Beware the man of a single book - St. Thomas Aquinas)
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To: NYer
That is the same testimony given by the nazis during the Nuremberg trials. Any good reporter should have pointed this out.

Oh yeah. Check out some of the nuggets in the next article:

The clinic was busy, doing brisk cash business, catering not only to local women in West Philadelphia, but also women from the affluent surrounding suburbs of Bucks and Montgomery counties. Gosnell’s reputation for no-wait abortions was so well known, women would fly in from other states.
A brisk cash business. In addition to a murderer, the doctor is also a guaranteed tax cheat. Where is the IRS?
Tina Baldwin testified that Gosnell treated women differently, based on their race. White women “with money” were taken to an “immaculate” upstairs room where Gosnell treated them personally. Poor black, Latino and other women were kept in the clinic’s dingy, dirty downstairs rooms, and were usually treated by medically unqualified staff.

Tina Baldwin said she asked Gosnell about why he treated white women differently from the others. She recalled him saying, “Sorry, but that’s how it is.”

Where are JE$$ie Jack$on and Al $harpton?

http://www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/news_columnists/jd_mullane/what-i-saw-at-the-gosnell-trial/article_c15d6904-cd3c-55b7-970f-f8e510182daf.html

14 posted on 04/13/2013 8:30:32 PM PDT by fso301
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To: NYer
Might as well add this report of the grand jury to your list.

http://www.phila.gov/districtattorney/pdfs/grandjurywomensmedical.pdf

15 posted on 04/13/2013 8:48:29 PM PDT by fso301
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To: NYer
On page 51 of the grand jury report:

An “Anesthesia for Surgery” form [Appendix B] presented to patients for their signature – and payment – did not identify or describe the drugs to be administered.

However, it suggested:

It will probably be best to pay the extra money and be more comfortable if some of the following conditions are true for you.
  1. The decision to have the procedure is a difficult decision.
  2. Medication is usually necessary for your menstrual cramps.
  3. Your decision has been forced by your parents or partner.
  4. Your family members or friends “don’t like pain.”

Item 3 highlights the lie about a woman's right to choose.

16 posted on 04/13/2013 10:12:02 PM PDT by fso301
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