The New York Times continues to taunt those who are outraged by the atrocities coming to light in the Gosnell trial. Not only have they managed to avoid properly covering the trial, but they seem to have chosen to stick a thumb in the eye of anyone who is alarmed by the inhumanity.
Consider, for example, Sunday’s New York Times lead editorial: “Courage in Kansas,” about the re-opening of an abortion clinic in Kansas, “four years after an anti-abortion extremist opened fire and killed a Wichita abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller…”
Considering the context (the ongoing Gosnell trial has been the big story all week, with the media’s lack of coverage being the big media story), it was an interesting editorial decision. (The editorial also noted, “The new clinic, called the South Wind Women’s Center, will not be performing late-term abortions as Dr. Tiller did.”)
Sunday’s Times also featured a book review written by the controversial Dan Savage. As Kirsten Powers tweeted:
Hey @nytimes maybe next time u have someone review a book by an evangelical you could pick someone who doesn’t hate Christians.Just an idea.
— Kirsten Powers (@kirstenpowers10) April 14, 2013
If they were trying to antagonize pro-Life readers, they could not have done a better job. It’s also a sign of something I’ve been writing about of late — the secular bias that exists in the mainstream media. I’m reminded a infamous 1993 Washington Post article that described Christian conservatives as “largely poor, uneducated and easily led.” Have their attitudes changed in the last twenty years?
But wait, there’s more.
The front page of Monday’s New York Times features a story about how music soothes premature babies. As the story notes: “The researchers concluded that live music, played or sung, helped to slow infants’ heartbeats, calm their breathing, improve sucking behaviors important for feeding, aid sleep and promote states of quiet alertness.”
There is nothing inherently wrong with this story, aside from the obvious context.
The Times seems keenly interested in making sure premature babies enjoy music, yet not terribly interested in a doctor who snips their spines with scissors.