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NPR, CNN repeat falsehood that Casey was denied speaking role at '92 Dem convention "because of his opposition to abortion rights"

On the August 26 edition of NPR's Morning Edition, referring to Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D-PA), who opposes abortion rights and was scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention later that day, host Steve Inskeep said: "His turn at the podium is notable because, in 1992, his father, then the popular governor of Pennsylvania, was not allowed to speak because of his opposition to abortion rights." On the August 25 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, CNN correspondent Mary Snow similarly falsely asserted that Sen. Casey's "father, the late Governor Bob Casey, was denied a speaking role at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights." In fact, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, other Democrats who opposed abortion rights spoke at that convention and at every convention since, so Casey's opposition to abortion rights could not have been the sole reason he was not given a speaking role. Additionally, The New Republic's Michael Crowley reported in 1996: "According to those who actually doled out the 1992 convention speaking slots, Casey was denied a turn for one simple reason: his refusal to endorse the Clinton-Gore ticket." From the August 26 edition of NPR's Morning Edition: INSKEEP: Another Pennsylvania Democrat will be speaking at the convention tonight, Sen. Robert Casey Jr. His turn at the podium is notable because, in 1992, his father, then the popular governor of Pennsylvania, was not allowed to speak because of his opposition to abortion rights. The Democratic Party has embraced the son despite his opposition to abortion because the son helped his party capture the Senate. From the 5 p.m. ET hour of the August 25 edition of CNN's The Situation Room: SNOW: Well, Wolf, we've heard the opening prayer earlier this hour at the convention. Faith-based caucuses are also on the agenda. It's part of an effort by Democrats to widen the party's tent. [begin video clip] SNOW: Here's something you didn't see at the last Democratic convention: a choir singing about the Lord; pastors and priests, an imam and rabbi leading an interfaith rally. DAVID BRODY (Christian Broadcasting Network senior national correspondent): What you're seeing from the Democrats is a real effort to make sure that religion is key in the Democratic Party. SNOW: And that's a break from the past. In 2004, Democrats shied away from using faith as part of their pitch, but when evangelicals, Protestants, and Catholics helped get George Bush elected, Democrats took note. ERIC SAPP (Common Good Strategies senior partner): Democrats had a wake-up call and said, "What are we doing wrong?" SNOW: Eric Sapp is consulting the party on religious issues. He says Democrats are speaking more openly about values. Case in point, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, a Catholic who opposes abortion, is addressing the convention. His father, the late Governor Bob Casey, was denied a speaking role at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights. Democrats are appealing to faith-based groups not voting solely on abortion but also broader concepts, such as war, poverty, and the environment. BRODY: What they really want are the moderate evangelicals, and some of the more moderate Catholics that have a concern about the life issue but also see it much broader than that. SNOW: But mixing prayer and politics carries some risks. SAPP: Most voters want to hear about where our values come from. There is always a danger, as you're engaging this area, you know, you're walking along a knife's edge.

Medals and rights: TNR debunks the myth of order in pre-Olympic China

Last month, The New Republic had a fascinating piece by Columbia University China expert Andy Nathan that explained the sticky political situation and human rights violations that went on behind-the-scenes at the dawn of the Olympics. The efflorescence of creativity that foreign visitors will see in Beijing in August is not a challenge to Party control. It enables that control....the energetic new Chinese art that has caught the imagination of Western buyers, with its pictorial irony and cynicism, repudiation of history, detachment from the world, and love of stunts, is not the challenge to those in power it is sometimes construed to be. Rather, it is a secret joke that the regime shares with the artists and their audience--part of a new social contract that allows the children to have their sly fun so long as the grown-ups run the house. I interviewed Nathan for my last MangoBot feature about China's future. Medals and Rights (The New Republic) ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.)...

NY Times again repeated falsehood that Casey was denied speaking slot at '92 Dem convention "because of his anti-abortion views"

In an August 24 New York Times article, reporter Michael Powell wrote that "Sen. Barack Obama has invited Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, an abortion-rights opponent to give a convention speech." Powell then falsely asserted: "Mr. Casey's father, then Pennsylvania's governor, was blocked from speaking at the 1992 convention because of his anti-abortion views." As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, other Democrats who opposed abortion rights spoke at the 1992 convention and at every convention since then, so Casey's opposition to abortion rights could not have been the sole reason he was not given a speaking role. Further, the Times itself reported in an August 1, 1996, article that White House officials "have always said that had [Casey] not declined to endorse Mr. [Bill] Clinton in 1992, he would have been allowed to speak to the convention." Michael Crowley of The New Republic similarly reported in 1996: "According to those who actually doled out the 1992 convention speaking slots, Casey was denied a turn for one simple reason: his refusal to endorse the Clinton-Gore ticket." Times reporter John Broder also repeated the falsehood in an August 7 article, writing: "Sixteen years ago, the Democratic Party refused to allow Robert P. Casey Sr., then the governor of Pennsylvania, to speak at its national convention because his anti-abortion views, stemming from his Roman Catholic faith, clashed with the party's platform and powerful constituencies."