14 Theories for Why Kermit Gosnell's Case Didn't Get More Media Attention

April 16, 2013

Every one of them amounts to someone saying, "This is how I think American journalism works."

"Kermit's Lounge"

The trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the abortionist charged with killing babies and neglecting women in his care, is now national news. There's no bigger story on the web. Anderson Cooper covered it thoroughly Friday on CNN. The Washington Post's executive editor pledged to send a reporter to file dispatches from the Philadelphia courtroom. My contribution, "Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story," distilled the Philadelphia grand jury report and argued that those horrific, detailed allegations are thoroughly newsworthy by any reasonable standard. That premise is now conventional wisdom. The trial is likely to remain national news.

My article didn't speculate about why the story didn't play bigger in the national media prior to late last week. I didn't want that debate to overshadow Gosnell's actions or the failure to stop him.

But the debate about coverage is important and fascinating.

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