NBC’s Today Fairly Balanced in Embryonic Stem Cell Reporting

by Brent Baker

On Saturday’s Today, co-host David Bloom furthered the misconception that embryonic stem cell research will immediately lead to cures for current sufferers of many diseases, as he wondered: “How quickly might we see these promised miracle cures if you will?” Later, co-host Soledad O’Brien noted that 70 percent of the public support the research, and then asked Geraldine Ferraro if President Bush “has let those people down?”

Bloom, at least, also posed some questions about the moral line Catholic bishops say Bush had crossed and if Bush had broken a campaign promise.

During the August 11 show’s first hour, Bloom made these inquiries to HHS secretary Tommy Thompson:

• “Mr. Secretary, for people who might be suffering from diabetes or Parkinson's disease, who believe that stem cell research offers the hope for promising treatments, would you tell them this morning that the President's decision will speed up or slow down that research?”

• “Secretary Thompson, the biggest surprise in the President's announcement was his contention that there are enough existing stem cell lines that new human embryos do not need to be created or destroyed. A lot of scientists are skeptical of that claim. How confident are you that that's true?”

• “Secretary Thompson, you're Catholic. Yesterday the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called the President's decision, 'morally unacceptable.' If your parish priest says to you, ‘how can you sanction the destruction of human life,’ what will you say?”

• “Secretary Thompson, what are you saying to some of your fellow conservatives who are saying, 'look no matter how you spin this, the President made a campaign promise and just like his dad on taxes, he broke it?'”

An hour later, Today brought aboard 1984 Democratic VP candidate Geraldine Ferraro to discuss the subject. Unlike, Bloom, O'Brien posed no questions from the pro-life perspective as she worried that Bush has “let down” the majority of Americans: “Some polls show that some 70 percent of Americans support stem cell research. Do you think in some way the President has let those people down?”

Actually, as a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found, 60 percent approved of Bush’s decision to allow federal funding for research on cells already removed from embryos, while 34 percent disapproved. And of those displeased, Tuesday’s USA Today< reported, the majority, 56 percent, disapproved because Bush’s decision was “not strict enough.”

Only 36 percent of those who disapproved shared the media’s view that the decision was “too strict.”

(This update courtesy of the Media Research Center.)