Where is the media scrutiny of surrogacy?
by Helen Gibson, Artillery Row:
The Pope is concerned but journalists seem indifferent.
What do The Times’ Head of Investigations, ITV’s UK Editor and the BBC’s Rome Correspondent have in common?
They have all had children with surrogate mothers.
Now, as journalists of — I’m sure — unimpeachable levels of integrity, they wouldn’t possibly shy away from covering newsworthy items and political developments of the day just because they may have personal commitments on a given issue. Obviously no journalist ever allows his or her home life to trump something as sacred as the news.
And as journalists of several years vintage between them, I’m sure they believe devoutly in impartiality, unbiased reporting, and not developing blind spots, let alone privileging their personal preferences over what’s actually newsworthy.
Consider then, the speech by Pope Francis yesterday, in which he called for a global ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogacy. The Pope’s remarks received coverage in the Daily Mail, Washington Post, Time Magazine, New York Times and Sky News, amongst many other outlets around the world.
One might have expected the BBC’s Rome Correspondent to have filed a story on our dominant news website about this, well, news; but no. One might have expected him to have at least commented, and indeed, he did, saying: “Pope Francis calls for global ban on surrogacy, denouncing it as ‘despicable’, turning a child into ‘object of trafficking’. (Currently playing with my happy 1-year-old, whose two adoring dads will bring our amazing altruistic surrogate over from Canada at Easter to visit.)” It’s unclear how this statement sits within the BBC’s own editorial guidelines on reporters’ use of social media. Meanwhile, in the regulated private sector, I couldn’t find any evidence that ITV had reported the story either.
Read also: I was born via surrogate… but from Day One there was no bond with my mother and my childhood was unhappy. That’s why I believe so strongly that this cruel and immoral practice should be banned, by Olivia Maurel, Daily Mail
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