FACT CHECK: Did No Mainstream Media Outlets Cover A Story Of Fetal Remains Being Discovered On A Deceased Abortion Doctor’s Property?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

Educating Liberals, a conservative Facebook page, shared an image claiming that mainstream media outlets did not cover the story of more than 2,200 fetal remains being found on a deceased abortion doctor’s property.

“What does CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, NPR, & PBS all have in common?” reads the screen-grabbed tweet. “None of them dedicated a single minute to covering the abortion doctor who had 2,200 dead babies preserved in his garage.”

Verdict: False

NPR, CNN and ABC News aired segments on some form of broadcast, with only NPR running a story longer than one minute. Most published at least one article on their websites. CBS News, MSNBC, and PBS did not cover the case at all.

Fact Check:

Family members discovered the medically-preserved remains of more than 2,200 fetuses on the property of deceased Illinois abortion doctor Ulrich “George” Klopfer in early September, according to a Will County press release. Additional remains, likely also from the time period of 2000 to 2002, were recovered Oct. 10, reports the Daily Caller.

This image, which has been shared more than 1,100 times, alleges that CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, NPR and PBS did not “dedicate a single minute” to cover the case. “This is one of the sickest things I’ve EVER heard,” reads part of the screen-grabbed tweet. “So why did the media suppress it?”

National coverage has been sparse as the case unfolds, but it’s inaccurate to say that mainstream media outlets haven’t reported on it at all. Several mentioned in the Facebook post discussed the case in broadcasts, and most ran digital stories on their websites.

NPR ran a three-minute, 48-second segment on its flagship radio news program “All Things Considered.” It also included the case in its live summaries of breaking news headlines that typically run at the top and bottom of each hour on at least four days, according to NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara.

CNN’s Ana Cabrera discussed the case during a Sept. 14 broadcast, and local reporter Will Jones did a segment for ABC News Live. These two latter instances were less than one minute.

The Daily Caller found no video footage from NBC News, MSNBC, CBS News or PBS on Grabien, a video clip editing service. (RELATED: Have There Been 60 Million Abortions Since Roe V. Wade?)

NBC, CBS and PBS affiliate stations, however, did cover the story, with broadcast segments and online articles. CBS 2 interviewed an Indiana woman who had abortions performed by Klopfer, for example.

Most of the mainstream media outlets mentioned in the Facebook post – NBC News, CNN, NPR and ABC News – published at least one article. CNN posted four original stories, the highest number of all the outlets, excluding wire stories. (ABC News put up at least 10 articles, but they all seem to be from The Associated Press.)

Searches of PBS, CBS News and MSNBC‘s websites turned up no stories on the preserved fetal remains discovered on Klopfer’s property.

ABC News, CBS News, MSNBC, NBC News and PBS have not responded to the Caller’s requests for comment.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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