Alexandria, VA – Nine prominent Catholic leaders have joined the Media
Research Center to voice outrage over the broadcast networks
deliberately withholding news of the momentous 43 Catholic entities
suing the Obama administration for violating their religious freedoms.
They represent major organizations including the Acton Institute,
Cardinal Newman Society, SBA List, the Catholic League and others. More are coming in every
hour.
There are 60 million Catholics in the US. The Catholic
vote will be the most important swing vote this year. So it’s not just a
major policy issue, it is one with massive political implications.
Yet, 19 seconds of news coverage [1] remains the only attention given by the
evening broadcast networks. Two days after news broke, the tally is:
-
ABC World News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But, last night there was
time for a full report on sleep apnea and Katie Couric discussing how
she met Queen Elizabeth; how she wore a peach coat and "a lovely peach
hat."
- NBC Nightly News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But last night there
was time to squeeze in a story on a new computer app that shows
America's eating habits, "graphic evidence" of how we eat badly late at
night.
- CBS Evening News – a brief 19 seconds of coverage on Monday, the evening the
lawsuit became public. ZERO coverage last night. But there was time in
the broadcast for a Cincinnati Reds baseball fan lucky enough to catch
two home runs in left field.
“The intentional, deafening silence
continues,” stated Brent Bozell, MRC President, “and we are not the
only ones concerned. This deliberate censorship must come to an end.”
“Beginning with the 367,000 people who protested Notre Dame's 2009
honoring of President Obama, Catholics across America have united to
oppose unconstitutional threats to their rights of conscience and
religious freedom. Now in an unprecedented move, the US Catholic
Conference of Bishops, along with over 40 other catholic institutions,
has sued the Obama administration. And rather than covering what is
perhaps the most significant lawsuit in the history of the US Catholic
Church, the media have deliberately chosen to ignore the story outright.
It is shameful and yet another example of why Americans are
increasingly getting their news elsewhere.”
Patrick Reilly
President, Cardinal Newman Society
“The suit by the Catholic Bishops, and other catholic institutions,
against the Obama administration is a courageous and bold move in
defending the religious freedom of all citizens; especially women and
the unborn. As members of religious institutions and leaders in
business, women must not be coerced to pay for insurance policies which
violate their most deeply held religious convictions when it comes to
the rights of the unborn. As a result of not covering this lawsuit
against the Administration, the media are deliberately choosing to side
with the administration’s attack on religious liberty.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser
President, SBA List
“Any national media outlet that fails to report
the obvious raping of our First Amendment rights by this Health and
Human Service mandate, is trumpeting either woeful incompetence or
shameless bias. The Catholic Church didn't pick this fight, but it knew
that if it didn't fight back now, every religion would eventually lose,
and America would be fundamentally redefined.”
Father Jonathan Morris
Fox News Analyst
Program Director, The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM radio
"Catholics
are united like never before in defending our religious liberty.
Unfortunately, the media are silencing our voices through their lack of
coverage. They are deliberately choosing to ignore what is perhaps the
most significant lawsuit ever filed by the Catholic Church in the
history of this country."
Matt Smith
President, Catholic Advocate
“The
elite media may attempt to ignore what is about to happen in our nation
regarding religious freedom, but believers of all religious traditions,
and even non-believers who are fair minded, are about to retrieve
America’s rich and firm tradition of religious liberty, sending
intolerant secularists into retreat. It’s about time.”
Fr. Robert Sirico
President, Acton Institute
Author of “In Defense of the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy
"The
Obama Administration's assault on religious liberty has united the
Catholic Church in a way no one thought possible. Among those suing the
Obama Administration Monday are some of the most prestigious Catholic
institutions in America, with many more expected to follow. These
organizations are united in their demand that the government end its
unprecedented assault on a once cherished core constitutional principle.
This issue and these lawsuits are historic. The media blackout on
these lawsuits confirm the shameful prejudice that is growing against
the Catholic Church in America."
Brian Burch
President, CatholicVote.org
“Religious
liberty is a right we hold dear as Americans--and recent attacks on
that right by the Obama Administration threaten not only Catholics, but
everyone. For the sake of religious liberty, and for the lives of
pre-born children, we support the courageous decision of 43 Catholic
institutions to sue the current administration for the HHS mandate that
would force them to purchase healthcare plans with contraceptives and
abortifacients. Many of the major media outlets shocking non-coverage of
such a historic news development is a wake up call to Americans to seek
newsgroups that will not allow extreme pro-Obama bias to control their
reporting.”
Lila Rose
President, Live Action
“The lawsuits by the University of Notre Dame and a broad range of other
Catholic institutions against the Obama Administration are a major
development in the important battle over religious freedom. They should
be big news.”
Ed Whelan
President
Ethics and Public Policy Center
"On May 22, the New York Times did not run a front-page story on the 43
Catholic dioceses and institutions suing the Obama administration for
violating the First Amendment; instead, a 459 word story was printed on
p. 17. On the front page was a 4611 word piece slamming private Catholic
and Protestant schools that qualified for a publicly funded scholarship
program. And they have the audacity to ask for evidence of bias?"
Bill Donohue
President
The Catholic League
To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another MRC spokesperson, please contact Colleen Sullivan - csullivan@crcpublicrelations.com [2] or Jeremy Little - jlittle@crcpublicrelations.com or call (703) 683-5004.