CNN's Situation Room continues to equate conservatives with Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:08:07 -0400

CNN's Situation Room continues to equate conservatives with "values voters"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200707200016

On the July 19 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, during a segment discussing reports that Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) lobbied in the early 1990s on behalf of a group trying to ease restrictions on federal funding to groups that engage in abortion counseling, CNN correspondent Tom Foreman asserted: "Fred Thompson certainly sounds like a conservative opposed to abortion rights," adding: "And, when he officially jumps into the race for the White House, he's counting on the support of values voters." As Media Matters for America has documented, CNN reporters, generally on The Situation Room, have repeatedly linked "values" and religious faith with conservatives or those opposing abortion rights:

Additionally, on the June 4 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, previewing the Presidential Forum on Faith, Values, and Poverty that aired later that day on CNN, congressional correspondent Dana Bash said to host Wolf Blitzer: "[W]e are going to hear from Democratic presidential candidates talking about something, as you said, we usually hear about -- at least in the last couple of elections -- from Republicans, and that is, they are going to talk about their faith, their religion, and their values," suggesting that Democrats have talked little about values.

From the 4 p.m. ET hour of the July 19 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

KING: New developments today involving another presidential prospect, Fred Thompson. His past work could put him in a bind with crucial conservative voters he's been trying to court. Our Tom Foreman is following that story. Tom, what are we learning?

FOREMAN: Well, John, it comes down to the question: How much does abortion really matter to these folks? And, depending on the answer, it looks like an old job could spell new trouble for the probable presidential hopeful.

[begin video clip]

THOMPSON: Belief in the sanctity of human life, these things that have been -- [applause]

FOREMAN (voice-over): Fred Thompson certainly sounds like a conservative opposed to abortion rights. And, when he officially jumps into the race for the White House, he's counting on the support of values voters.

But billing records show that, in 1991 and '92, Thompson spent some 20 hours lobbying for a group that was trying to ease federal laws that restricted abortion counseling. The records detailing his work for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association were first reported Thursday by The New York Times and also obtained by CNN.

Earlier this month, in response to a Los Angeles Times story, Thompson said he had no recollection of doing anything to aid the abortion rights group. But, last week, the former senator from Tennessee and longtime Washington lobbyist backtracked from that statement.

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