I try not to get upset at media bias anymore. Since the 2008 election I just laugh because the media has beclowned themselves so badly and are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. And I must thank the Associated Press for giving me one of the funniest and biased articles against pro-lifers I’ve seen in a while.

Sometimes media bias can be subtle. This is not one of those times. As a former reporter I know that so much media bias is shown in the choice of words the reporter uses. I read this AP article at NPR and literally laughed out loud at some of words and phrases. I would reprint the entire article but I’m just going to share some lowlights.

Here’s a few:

Emboldened by new Republican majorities and a political climate they see as sympathetic, abortion foes are mounting a renewed assault on Roe v. Wade — and employing some in-your-face tactics to do it.

“Assault” and “in your face.” Gotta’ love it. But it gets better when it talks about how pro-lifers are assaulting people by getting in their faces with…gasp…images of the unborn!!!! And the sounds of a baby’s heart beating!!! Oh the horror of this in your face assault. Now the reporter brings in the expert to explain what it is those sneaky assault minded pro-lifers are doing.

“They’re trying to find a way to reframe this issue, and using this imagery is the way they’re trying to do this,” said Thad Hall, a political scientist at the University of Utah and author of a recent book on abortion politics. “It’s very rational political behavior. There is survey data to suggest that when people see these images, it does affect how they view the viability of the fetus.”

Ya’ think? Imagine that. If someone sees that it’s a baby in the womb they’re less likely to kill it. The thing is, pro-lifers are pretty up front about what they’re doing. They’re not trying to keep it a secret. They might even explain it themselves to reporters if reporters ever called pro-lifers.

But here’s my favorite part. In describing how a Christian group had a fetus “testify” by having legislators listen to the baby’s heartbeat, this is how the AP describes it.

Faith2Action rounded up two women early in their pregnancies and gave them ultrasounds before a packed House Health Committee hearing so legislators could see and hear the fetal hearts.

Rounded up? Really? Rounded up? The AP makes it seem like these pregnant women were simply walking around town and evil pro-lifers in unmarked vans rolled up, lassoed them, forced into hospital gowns and marched them into the legislature.

I love the media when they’re completely unhinged. And nothing unhinges the media like pro-lifers.

But then the AP decided that they’ve shown how much they hated pro-lifers so they wanted a little balance to their piece. So they reached out to pro-aborts and “experts” about how they felt about pro-lifers. I guess the AP couldn’t “round up” any pro-lifers to speak.

Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, said the presentation turned the hearing into a “circus.”

“I have to hand it to our opponents on this: They’re really good at getting attention,” she said, “but they’re really not good at paying attention to the needs of Ohio women.”

The shock-value strategy is by no means new. Imagery designed to tug at heartstrings or disturb viewers is familiar to anyone who has driven along a highway and seen anti-abortion billboards featuring pictures of fetuses or smiling infants. On the other side of the debate, abortion rights activists have handed out coat hangers or used pictures of them to symbolize the dangers of back-alley abortions…

“I think the pro-life movement has probably had the upper hand in the last several decades in the production and dissemination of these images. I’m not sure I can say why,” said Ziad Munson, associate professor of sociology at Lehigh University and author of “The Making of Pro-Life Activists. “I would assume many in the pro-choice movement would agree with me. They haven’t been as successful at marshaling these images to their advantage for whatever reason.”

Amazing, huh? For whatever reason? Images of babies are more effective than images of coat hangers. Who’d a thunk it?

How on earth could pro-aborts use ultrasound images to their advantage? That’s the whole point but the “expert” is perplexed by this. Hmmmm…why can’t pro-aborts use images of babies to push abortion? Oh wait maybe it’s because…I don’t know…ABORTION KILLS BABIES!!!!!

So here’s hoping that the media continues to cover the pro-life movement. We could use the laugh.