Iowa media help Hinson, Miller-Meeks hide the ball on birth control access

[progressoid]

All three U.S. House Republicans from Iowa voted this week against a bill that would provide a federal guarantee of access to contraception. But if Iowans encounter any mainstream news coverage of the issue, they may come away with the mistaken impression that GOP Representatives Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks took a stand for contraception access.

...

HOW IOWA MEDIA COVERED THE STORY

Following House approval of the Right to Contraception Act, the Des Moines Register's website ran a news brief by USA Today. The headline emphasized that eight House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to codify access to birth control, and the story didn't mention that Iowa's three Republicans voted no.

Similarly, the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, one of the largest newspapers in Hinson's district, ran an Associated Press story that did not mention where the Iowans stood on the bill.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette's Tom Barton did report on the Iowa delegation's party-line split. But that story highlighted Hinson's and Miller-Meeks' reasons for opposing the bill, devoting more paragraphs to their talking points and preferred legislation than to the Democratic position.

Earlier this week, Barton wrote up the news releases announcing the Hinson bill, framing the story around the GOP proposal that had no chance of passage, rather than the bill on track to advance from the House.

That article included background information provided in the Republicans' news releases, such as, "As a state senator, Miller-Meeks introduced and passed a bill in the Iowa Senate allowing women over 18 to buy oral contraceptives over the counter in Iowa." It did not mention inconvenient facts like Hinson's vote in the Iowa House to defund Planned Parenthood's family planning programs, months after telling constituents that she had used a Planned Parenthood clinic herself and was committed to "not making it harder on anyone to get services."

more...https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2022/07/22/iowa-media-help-hinson-miller-meeks-hide-the-ball-on-birth-control-access/.

[DFW]

1. Beware Hinson

She‘s another Greene-Bobert, but with a brain, organizational skills, ambition, just as many scruples (i.e. none), and looks like an up and coming Fox Noise anchor.

She is smart enough not to be on the front page of every rag and blog. Watch out, Iowa, this one is trouble.

[progressoid]

2. Yep. As is Feenstra.

He's Steve King in a nicer suit. Sadly Feenstra will keep his seat.

Latest PPP poll has Hinson tied with Mathis. Fingers crossed.