Oklahoma City — I’ve always trusted my local news stations. I had thought they were the last of the few honest outlets that weren’t so biased and opinionated, but I have recently learned that this is not the case. On February 12th, my friends, family and I headed out to our state’s capitol for a rally in support of Senate Bill 13, a piece of legislation that would criminalize abortion.
Our friends that went with us have expressed a desire to adopt a child from a woman that is considering an abortion, and have even offered to help get her on her feet after birth. At the rally, Kianoosh and Megan Moeini held a sign that read, “Willing to adopt the little ones”. This sign caught much attention, drawing two local news stations to stop and interview them.
Ericka Stanish from KOKH 25 and Bret Buganski from KOCO 5 interviewed Kianoosh and Megan. Bret Buganski’s interview was around 5 minutes long and ended with the question, “Even in cases such as incest and rape do you think the child should be delivered?” Kianoosh answered, “No matter what with rape, with incest no matter what’s happened a life has been conceived”, and with that, the interview was over.
This is the only line they chose from a five-minute interview with them, and you can imagine the firestorm it set off. KOCO’s intentions were blatantly obvious. Bret Buganski asked this one last question and Moeini’s answer was the only line played by KOCO throughout all their evening segments, and it’s also the only line they have posted on their website.
Ericka Stanish gave them both a chance to explain why they held their views. Their interview on KOKH was much longer in comparison. When asked about her opinion, Megan Moeini said, “I feel like the pro-life movement is like, well I wouldn’t abort my baby, but I wouldn’t tell you what to do, that’s not enough. It’s not my body my choice. That is a separate DNA inside your body, it is a human right to be able to have a chance at life.”
Kianoosh went on to add, “I’m tired of seeing legislators get voted into office who claim to be pro-life, but we’re not seeing a lot of headway and it’s just happening over and over again. We need to care for all life.”
The Moeini family definitely felt the spin. In a later Facebook post in regard to the interviews, Megan said, “The real message my husband and I want to get across is this: We are willing to help any woman who is scared and thinks she might be pregnant! If you have little to no help, we will help you in this desperate situation, until you get on your feet again… but if you want, we will happily adopt your baby!”
Kianoosh also had a reaction to the media’s bias:
“KOCO’s Bret and camera man Mike set out to share a story with a liberal spin on it, and by cutting out key statements the interviewees being shared, and choosing to crop out my wife from the frame, the viewer is given a short story, void of many facts shared…you will never get the entire truth from the mainstream media today. Journalism no longer shares facts, so truth seekers have to glean the facts from multiple sources.”
And of course, if these journalists really were covering the rally, why was the author of this bill not interviewed? Across the stations reporting, Senator Joseph Silk never appeared to speak on the bill.
Both of the anchors spent the same amount of time interviewing the Moeinis, but the contrast between the two was shocking. While every news station gave the democratic Representative Jason Dunnington the same amount of time, they cordially allowed the senator to spread misleading statistics. The gist of his speech throughout the news stations was that Senate Bill 13 is “unconstitutional”, and that if we just provide more Sex-Ed and contraceptives that the abortion rates will fall.
The myth that Sex-Ed and contraceptives drastically lower abortion rates has consistently been a proven falsity for many years. Some years ago, the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology said of contraceptives, “To date, no study has shown that increased access to this method reduces unintended pregnancy or abortion rates.” Sweden has one of the most comprehensive sex education system, yet their rate of abortion is much higher than even that of the US. Sweden has an abortion rate of 25% and the US attains a rate of 17%.
Local news stations were the last comfort for some as a usually unbiased and mostly truthful source, but now, even these are starting to disappear. The stark reality of media bias is truly starting to set in for some, and it can only be a sad day when our own reporters covering their fellow citizens decide that their personal beliefs and world-views are more important than giving their constituents an honest report.
Now more than ever, America needs responsibility and integrity in the media.
