Planned Parenthood reporting 'done right' -- the name on this byline won't surprise you
How the Planned Parenthood videos set off a renewed wave of activism on abortion http://t.co/JXXOR3Gsnk (including today's #WomenBetrayed)
— Sarah Pulliam Bailey (@spulliam) July 28, 2015
Yes, Sarah Pulliam Bailey used to write for GetReligion.
Yes, we're biased when it comes to her important work for the Washington Post.
Yes, it's awkward when we start praising a friend and former colleague. (We've admitted as much.) We know that you know that we know that you know that.
But no, that's not going to stop us from calling attention to a story Sarah wrote this week related to the Planned Parenthood videos:
Antiabortion activists see new undercover videos of Planned Parenthood as their biggest opportunity since the 2011 Kermit Gosnell trials to energize support for the issue.
Planned Parenthood, which many antiabortion activists see as the face of abortion, has long been under attack, but the videos have set off renewed debate over its federal funding.
In fact, we're not the only ones who were impressed.
Tom Breen, a former Associated Press newsman who did excellent work on the Godbeat, tweeted:
Journalists, who tend to struggle with reporting on abortion, would do well to read this piece to see it done right: http://t.co/NaoPL7dfxf
— Tom Breen (@TJBreen) July 28, 2015
Likewise, Bob Smietana, president of the Religion Newswriters Association, praised the story:
Great reporting by @spulliam as usual on how new videos revived pro-life activism
http://t.co/MDFci0kwXI— Bob Smietana (@bobsmietana) July 28, 2015
As Julia Duin noted in her post earlier today, overall media coverage of the Planned Parenthood videos "has been underwhelming to say the least":
New York Times on the Planned Parenthood videos: It's all politics, politics, politics http://t.co/OuJCkhiprn
— GetReligion (@GetReligion) July 30, 2015
But Sarah's story covers both sides of the abortion debate and provides important context to help readers understand the latest developments.
Moreover, Sarah's social media prowess and expertise (she has 72,000-plus Twitter followers!) figure into her insightful analysis:
It might be too soon to tell whether the activism will disappear after the buzz from the videos dies down or whether a new generation of antiabortion activists will sustain its level of interest. Previous undercover videos spotlighting Planned Parenthood were less sophisticated, and a younger generation is shifting its messaging, said Charles Camosy, a theology professor at Fordham University and author of the recently published “Beyond the Abortion Wars.”
“A lot of the activism hasn’t taken place in the era of Twitter,” Camosy said, noting how Students for Life Changed its hashtag from #DefundPlannedParenthood to #WomenBetrayed, reflecting a shift in focus toward women. “A new generation has put women up front and center.”
It's a quick, daily story posted in real time to the Post's website. So it's not perfect. But it's closer than most.
Given our obvious conflict of interest, please forgive us for saying so.
