Friday, March 5, 2010

Balance Versus Bias in Adoption Reporting

Have you noticed that that political pundits each accuse the other of being unbalanced and biased? Have you noticed that each points a finger at a news outlet for being unbalanced and biased toward the other?  The New York Times has been accused of being too liberal and too conservative, too pro-Israel or not supportive enough of Israel...etc., etc....depending upon who is making the accusation and who opposes the coverage or editorial of the day.

Adoption issues are often portrayed, not even in an attempt to be fair and balanced journalistic news, but as emotional lifestyle page drama, heavily weighed in favor of the hurt party which is more often than not a disappointed, sad, frustrated, broken hearted prospective adopter - with an empty nursery and a broken heart.  They tell how they duped by an expectant mother who "dared" to "change her mind" and "back out" of the "deal" after she was paid money for her support during her pregnancy. 

When adoptees or natural mothers stories are told, they are often labeled  angry or "bitter"- an attack equal to being biased and unbalanced.

As a writer I am faced with these criticisms all the time. I am accused ot pinitn "all" adoptions as negative because I focus on those that are.

Yet. those who support an end to domestic violence, such as National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, are not chastised for not including in their writings that most spouses do not cause such harm.

The simply state :
Domestic abuse is a pattern of coercive control that one person exercises over another. Battering is a behavior that physically harms, arouses fear, prevents a partner from doing what they wish or forces them to behave in ways they do not want.

Battering includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to couples who are married, living together or who are dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.
Another advocacy website tells us that:
Domestic abuse, also known as spousal abuse, occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person. Domestic abuse that includes physical violence is called domestic violence.

Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: to gain and maintain total control over you. An abuser doesn’t “play fair.” Abusers use fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under their thumb. Your abuser may also threaten you, hurt you, or hurt those around you.

Domestic violence and abuse do not discriminate. It happens among heterosexual couples and in same-sex partnerships. It occurs within all age ranges, ethnic backgrounds, and financial levels. And while women are more commonly victimized, men are also abused—especially verbally and emotionally.
Sadly, it is not just the emotional first-person pieces...but even those attempting to present factual advise on adoption such as todays entry by Jeneen Interlandi on a Newsweek blog.

Newsweek prints this totally unsubstantiated biased piece of garbage filled with false and misleading information that makes adoption out to be a predatory scheme for those wanting a child with no strings attached. I would think this piece would be an embarrassment to many who have adopted.

Interlandi either intentionally or out of total ignorance confuses the right of a mother not to place her child for adoption with attempting to revoke the decision father it is made and states ridiculous amounts of times that allegedly one has to do this in - MONTHS ...even after prospective adopters have paid her expenses! The nerve!
Most states allow birth parents to reclaim their children after the children have been placed with adoptive families, for time periods ranging from a few days in some states to several months in others. Critics of international adoption say this rarely happens.
She touts international adoption as the solution without mentioning any potential danger there. And this passes for journalism while I am accused of bias! And she accuses those, such as Elizabeth Samuels, who report the legal facts and unbised truth as being "critics of international adoption."

2 comments:

maybe said...

Wow, did you read this comment on the blog post?

Posted By: daennera (March 5, 2010 at 3:05 PM)
"If you're smart and do what my parents did you never have to worry about the birth mother claiming the child after it's birth. My parents paid all the medical expenses AFTER the defined length of time my birth mother could claim me back. That left her with two options: 1) Claim the baby back, but then deal with crushing medical debt or 2) Give up the baby and start a better life. Thank god I got such smart parents out of the deal."

He's admitting that his parents blackmailed a mother to get her baby...and he's thanking god for that dirty deed? I can see that he acquired their questionable morals.

That mother might have qualified for Medicaid to pay for the birth - was she made aware of this? Or did they bully her with the threat of large medical bills?

AdoptAuthor said...

I hadn't seen it. Note how proud he or she is of her ap! I don't see how it can be true, though cause doctors and hospitals want their $$ up front.

RussiaToday Apr 29, 2010 on Russian Adoption Freeze

Russi Today: America television Interview 4/16/10 Regarding the Return of Artyem, 7, to Russia alone

RT: Russia-America TV Interview 3/10

Korean Birthmothers Protest to End Adoption

Motherhood, Adoption, Surrender, & Loss

Who Am I?

Bitter Winds

Adoption and Truth Video

Adoption Truth

Birthparents Never Forget