Over the last few weeks, many of us have been following the lack of media
coverage of the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. First, we were noticing that the trial of this
abortion doctor (who some had called a mass murderer) was receiving no media
coverage. Then we waited to hear the explanations for why there was essentially a media
blackout.

Columnist and political analyst Kirsten Powers asked her media colleagues why
they avoided any coverage of a trial that had all the elements of what mainstream media
would want in a story. Correspondent Megan McCardle tried to explain “Why I Didn’t
Write About Gosnell’s Trial And Why I Should Have.”

Perhaps the best summary came from Washington Post writer Melinda
Henneberger who tries to explain “Why Kermit Gosnell Hasn’t Been on Page One.” One
of her colleagues tried to argue that Gosnell’s atrocities were a local crime. But she
counters that she couldn’t think of another mass murder that the media every saw that
way.

Another journalist suggested that the rest of the country doesn’t care about
Philadelphia. Or perhaps the media blackout occurred because Gosnell performed
abortions on poor, black patients. But that was not true. He actually treated white patients
himself, while his assistants treated the others.

She therefore concludes that “we didn’t write more because the only abortion
story most outlets cover in the news pages is every single threat or perceived threat to
abortion rights.” She believes it is merely a newsroom reflex.

Here’s the calculus. A trial of someone who broke into an abortion clinic and
destroyed equipments. That’s news. A trial of an abortionist who cut off heads of aborted
babies born alive. That’s not worth coverage.

Put another way, the mainstream media has a number of sacred cows. Abortion is
at the top of the list. That’s why some of you may be hearing about the Kermit Gosnell
trial right now for the first time as you are listening to my commentary. I’m Kerby
Anderson, and that’s my point of view.