Saturday, March 31, 2012

Through the Media, GOP Winning the War on Women

This is how the GOP has won every other war on liberal values that everyone said they couldn't possibly win: by making sure their misleading rhetoric is the language the media uses.

Teddy Partridge at Firedoglake:

America’s media landscape is being subtly changed by the War on Women being waged by the talibangelicals. And our news media need to be alert to their own participation in it. Congressman Ron Paul discussed his completely legal ob/gyn practice and the legal pharmaceuticals he legally prescribed for patients. Read how Yahoo! News introduced its report on Dr Paul’s appearance on “The Tonight Show”:

Ron Paul, during an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” Tuesday night admitted that he prescribed birth control pills during his time as a practicing OB-GYN in Texas.

“admitted“?

Why is the entirely legal prescription of entirely legal birth control pills an admission? Nothing surreptitious happening here, nothing illegal, nothing but the above-board practice of medicine.

“admitted"?

Why is the completely routine issuance of prescriptions within a medical practice an admission, Yahoo!? No illegality, no hypocrisy, no shock value. What makes this an admission to your news desk?

The War on Women is changing America’s media. News editors and reporters need to check their bias against women and routine provision of women’s health care when producing news stories. There’s no admission here. Ron Paul didn’t admit anything. He merely described an entirely non-salacious, routine aspect of any ob/gyn practice. He’s a women’s health doctor. Women’s health doctors prescribe birth control pills.

And when an ob/gyn tells you he’s prescribed birth control pills, he’s admitting nothing.

Might as well say he was bragging.

No comments: