MSM/blogosphere disconnect: Pew highlights importance of pro-life blogging
On February 12 Pew Research compared how MSM spent its time last week vs the blogosphere.
The differences were stark. We report and discuss 2 different worlds…
Reported Pew…
Social media took on a host of controversial issues last week, from abortion to gay rights to health care reform. The online community gave the hot-button topics not only more attention than the mainstream press, but also much more opinionated intensity.
The most discussed subject on blogs was an anti-abortion television commercial featuring college football star Tim Tebow. Specifically, bloggers linked to the Feb. 2 Washington Post column by sportswriter Sally Jenkins, who is admittedly pro-choice, but who voiced support for Tebow and opposition to a number of women’s groups who had been critical of his political stance.
From Feb. 1-5, fully 28% of the news links on blogs were about Jenkins’ column, according to the New Media Index produced by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. Almost all of the bloggers who linked to the story supported her view.
The same topic did not generate much interest in the mainstream press last week. While a few sportswriters and political pundits touched on the issue, it was not among the top 10 subjects covered in the traditional press….
This is fascinating. Is it a sign of MSM’s disconnect from the real concerns of flyover country? Or just a display of the difference in mediums, ours being more opinion/debate driven? Does it point out MSM’s agenda – or blind spots? Or is it just that the blogosphere is more viscerally driven?
I don’t know. I’m not a student of this topic.
But one thing I do know is this demonstrates the importance of pro-life blogging. If we weren’t all talking about the Life issue, it wouldn’t get any of the oxygen in the journalistic room.
This is quite affirming. I’d encourage any thinking about it to start a pro-life blog of your own. It’s a valuable component in the battle to uphold the sanctity of human life.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
You are so right and as a news junkie and pro life activist it is a perfect way to put your thoughts and knowledge to good use. Thank you for encouraging me and other pro life bloggers to get out there.
Thanks for all the work you do, Susie, including here!
Speaking of the importance of pro-life blogging, you posted recently about Planned Parenthood coming to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Here’s an interesting perspective on how the door to this evil was opened:
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/father-robert-bruso-of-saint-anthonys.html
Man, today image and perception ARE reality.
This man probably wouldn’t be able to go in a sit down restaurant today and get waited on.
Lost half my country, ‘Will Work for Food’
yor bro ken
Jill – it’s a complete disconnect. The MSM is run by people who have become myopic to other technologies as communication mediums. Usually those in that field who wake up to the possibilities available on the Internet embrace all avenues, however the news anchors/organizations can’t see the huge change that has occurred. To acknowledge the change indicates they are no longer the center of the news world.
I’ve recently read that those 35 and under haven’t even watched one evening newscast – and this was being written by a journalism professor who had discovered this in his classes, then did a study.
If Marshall McLuhan was right – “The medium is the message” then one-way, non-interactive broadcast journalism is dead.
The corpse is rotting and it needs to be buried.
Interesting.
Though I have to admit, the Tebow ad and reactions thereto are not as newsworthy as the Toyota recall, the economy, and the earthquake. But the MSM should have covered it, albeit briefly, such as:
FoF announced ad about how Heiseman winner Tim Tebow almost didn’t get born. Abortion rights groups mostly in a tizzy, with some staying out of the fray. Ad runs, very inoffensive. Instead of “Our bad!” abortion advocacy groups continue to spew spittle. They said X, Y, and Z. Tebow and FoF supporters said A, B, and C. Raises issues of whether medically indicated abortions are as necessary as women are led to believe.
Good food for thought.
While I”m at it, I would like to point out that the prolife buzz ought not to have been limited to “See what the real agenda is?” There should have been equal time to “Let’s discuss openly whether or not these ‘medically indicated’ abortions are really life savers, or whether they’re being pushed on women who neither want nor need abortions.”
Imagine opening a public discussion on that, and revealing how the abortion lobby has been pushing unwanted, unnecessary abortions on sick women!
This is what is being introduced in TN
FREEDOM FROM COERCION ACT:
SB 3812 by *Johnson ( *HB 3301 by *Lynn)
Abortion – As introduced, enacts the “Freedom from Coercion Act.”
This very important piece of legislation is being sponsored by Tennessee Right to Life
. We know that many women, if not forced, are coerced, into having abortions and that is just wrong. Among other provisions, this bill requires that a notice be posted in clinics, or other facilities that perform abortions notifying the patients that it is against law for them to be coerced to have an abortion against their will and that they have the right to contact law enforcement to receive protection. The patient will be informed that an abortion cannot be performed on her unless she provides her freely given, voluntary and informed consent.
VIDEO of the Sisters of Mary (Ann Arbor, MI) on Oprah!!!
The ENTIRE SHOW!!!
This is MUST SEE!!
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSa40…eature=related
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25sp-…eature=related
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL0SQ…eature=related
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrdky…eature=related
The MSM exposed! Bascially, the MSM are a bunch of copycats. They get their cues from what the major organs are doing. Then they repeat ad nauseam, usually using the same words and phrases. Too many news organizations chasing too little news…and this is the result.
Also, as has been pointed out, the MSM is out of touch. The elitists and agenda driven thought leaders in the MSM are not our typical next door neighbors. I for one am glad to see the downsizing of the major outlets as they are no friends of life and traditional values.
Great post. Prolife blogging can get pretty grim; its good to encourage each other. Recently a man from Ireland left me some comments saying he was finally facing the grief an abortion 20 years prior had left him after reading a series I posted about abortion and lost fatherhood. Moments like those are what keep me going. The world didnt care about all those souls now gone from abortion, yet they are remembered by those of us who continually remind the world that they were here and they mattered. They died without names or funerals, but we can give them both, along with a voice.
The MSM isn’t covering these stories because they don’t want them to be opened up for all to see so that they might be debated. As far as the establishment is concerned, these are done deals, period. The internet is changing this, but it’s really a rather mixed bag, considering what Chris said about the journalism professor.
Most blogs are not pure news, but opinion pieces. Most young people are going to places like The Daily KOS and Huffpo and other such places that spew insane leftist rhetoric. They’re not being introduced to any opposing viewpoints (unless they enjoy trolling sites like this, where I happen to acquire my insane right wing rhetoric, but those people are few and far between) and therefore only being entrenched in the ideas they’re being fed which are highly unrealistic. Those on the other side are solidifying in reality their cyber-platform (ex: Tea Partiers) which started with Rush Limbaugh on tv and radio back when Clinton was in office and has been gaining momentum like a snowball heading downhill. With the democrat majority and now Obama as president, it’s turned into an avalanche, and is actually accomplishing things like the elections on the east coast recently. Once the KOS/Huffpo kids start the same real-life initiative the Tea Party has, expect to see some fireworks. I’m actually worried about this.
Wow…I didn’t even realize I was just defending trolling. Haha.
Trolls suck, but at least they’re being exposed to a differing viewpoint.
Jill,
In answer to your question, I think that the MSM are not guilty of passive fault, such as blind spot when it comes to pro-life issues.
The truth is that the MSM are owned and operated by rabid radicals who are some of the chief architects and construction engineers in the Culture of Death.
Evidence?
This nation has not been so riven over a single issue since the slavery issue, not even the Civil Rights Movement. Abortion has thoroughly poisoned the body politic. Its specter is raised in every Presidential election regarding the balance of power on the Supreme Court.
The nomination hearings for Supreme Court nominees were always rather pro-forma affairs until Ted Kennedy reduced those stately proceedings to a street fight with the Bork nomination. It’s been cyanide ever since.
There is a burgeoning body of literature about Post-abortion Syndrome. The MSM response? Silence.
There is a significant and compelling body of literature on the link between abortion and breast cancer. MSM response? Silence.
There is a large body of literature on the link between contraceptive pills and breast cancer. MSM response? Silence.
There is a large and growing movement in healing retreats and counseling for post-abortive women. MSM response? Silence
The CDC says condoms are hardly effective against most STD’s and show a steady rise in all STD’s that are silent infections (which is all but 3) since the mid-60’s. MSM response? Silence.
Planned Parenthood operates 80% of its clinics in the inner city, helping Blacks who represent 12% of the population have 37% of the abortions. If we add Hispanic women in with Black women, they comprise 25% of the population, but have had 56% of the abortions. That’s 28 Million abortions since 1973 (18 Million Black, 10 million hispanic). MSM response? Silence.
Black women have frighteningly disproportionate rates of breast cancer compared to all others. In light of the risk factors from the pill being dispensed like M&M’s by PP to Black girls, and abortion, MSM response is Silence.
Why? WHY? Against the backdrop of a poisoned electorate, why the silence?
We know why.
Because journalistic objectivity for MSM is a display in the National Museum of Broadcasting-along with all of the other defunct accoutrements on display showing what once was.
And Jill-Thanks for getting me going on my blog, and for all of your support.
God Bless,
Gerry
To me, this is actually an example of how important the MSM still is. Of course, blogs on specific topics (like this one) are great and have their place, but are you actually suggesting topics like Haiti should be getting LESS COVERAGE in the media than a controversial ad?!?!
When the controversial ad is about the pro-life position, I can’t see why it should get zero coverage in the MSM, can you Abigail?
Jill did not suggest that the ad should get more coverage than Haiti.
Louise- The ad DID get coverage in the MSM– plenty of it. I saw it debated on every cable news network, and last I checked they are included in that group. I think by calling it a ‘disconnect’, the implication is that bloggers have their priorities straight and the MSM doesn’t, which would mean the ad should get more time than Haiti or the economy, and that’s absurd.
According to the graph on this page, there was not much mention of the ad and it looked like “zero.”
I thought the “disconnect” merely meant a “disconnect.”
As it happens, I have little time for the MSM b/c of such a disconnect, but it does not follow that Haiti should be given less coverage than the ad.
As for the economy, well, I believe modern economics is absurd in itself, but that’s another story…
Louise- I see where you’re coming from, but just because the coverage didn’t show up in a bar graph doesn’t mean it got none at all. Maybe you should keep up with the MSM on occasion, if only to know your enemy. You can’t accurately criticize them when you only have second-hand knowledge of what they do.
Oops… sorry for the duplicate comments… internet error. I’m not that extreme– I swear! haha!
Isn’t Fox News good enough for you all? What about Brent Bozell, Mr. Libel (remember the WWE settlement for $3.5 million)? Don’t like it, don’t watch it. GE owns NBC. GE produces many pro-death war systems. But, those are OK with you all, so long as your precious little fetuses are worshipped. Keep the woman in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. Religious freedom isn’t good enough for you all–you want to shove your religion down everyone else’s throats. Not in my lifetime, fetus worshippers.