Call To Action For: Journalists
- Serve as a timely & accurate source of updates on the reproductive healthcare movement. Here are the top myths journalists often unintentionally reproduce about abortion care;
- Read/listen to and reflect on the patient stories at We Testify | The Abortion Diary | Advocates for Youth. How can these stories as well as the provider stories on this site personalize and humanize your reporting on abortion care?
- Stop equating medical experts and anti-abortion activists. Stories about abortion often seek “objective balance” by quoting facts from medical experts and then biased information from anti-abortion activists. Quality of information from these two groups is very different and it is journalists’ responsibility to help the public understand that;
- Provide public health and social context about abortion and the range of people affected. Stories about abortion in the news rarely include basic public health information about abortion. Therefore, the public and policymakers may misunderstand abortion’s frequency and safety. Journalists can improve understanding of abortion by including accurate, timely data about, for example, the prevalence and safety of abortion and the public’s support of abortion. (See other recommendations for advocates from the Berkeley Media Studies Group)
- Use the language recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists when reporting on abortion;
- Expand abortion coverage so the public and policymakers understand the demographics of people who get abortions. Current coverage tends to focus on the experiences of white communities and young women, but people of color are more likely to have abortions than white people, and the majority of people who get abortions are adult mothers, not teenagers (See other recommendations for advocates from the Berkeley Media Studies Group);
- Give context that help the public understand the need for Gender Expansive Abortion Care;
- Give context that help the public understand the principles of Reproductive Justice. Here’s a good primer from the Charlotte Reproductive Action Network: RJ Briefing Booklet;
- Almost none of the current coverage mentions that most people who have abortions are mothers (0% of news stories, 1% of opinion stories), and that most are not teenagers (1% of news stories, 1% of opinion stories). Change that percentage!
- Learn more about why abortion ban exceptions do not work and are not ethical.
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