Originally Posted - March 22, 2007


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Commentary

Media Bias In Schiavo Case Continues

By June Maxam

When the St. Petersburg Times published an article on March 10, entitled "An exit of her choosing: unafraid and in control", it compared the death of octogenarian Adelaide R. Snyder to that of Terri Schiavo, the woman who was court ordered to die by removal of all hydration and sustenance because her husband said that's what she would have wanted. http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/10/Opinion/An_exit_of_her_choosi.shtml

Terri didn't have a written will at the time she was suddenly and still inexplicably stricken at the age of 26 on Feb. 25, 1990, causing incapacitating brain injuries. Her family and friends who knew her best, and even Terri's own demonstrated quest for life, overcoming her husband's previous attempts to end her life, indicated her will to live. But the court believed the self-serving hearsay "evidence" of her heavily conflicted husband, Michael Schiavo, and ordered her death.

Joleigh Little of Solon Springs, WI, read the article and took issue with it, writing a letter to the editor to the St. Petersburg Times, who refused to publish it.

    To The Editor:

    I was sorry to read online about the death of Adelaide R. Snyder in "An exit of her choosing: unafraid and in control."

    However, your paper is inappropriately comparing her situation with that of Terri Schiavo, implying that the two were somehow similar. They were not even remotely alike, and it is both unprofessional and irresponsible to frame them as such. Sadly, few of your readers will take the time to look into the facts of the Terri Schiavo case, which will leave them with the mistaken impression that your version of events somehow resembles the truth.

    Adelaide Snyder made it very clear what her intentions were. Terri Schiavo made no such declaration. Judge Greer's ruling claiming Terri "wanted to die" was pure conjecture on his part. In reality there was absolutely no evidence that existed regarding her "wish" to die. (Unless you are gullible enough to believe the hearsay evidence of an estranged husband who was admittedly living with and engaged to another woman and suddenly after eight years remembered Terri's "wish".)

    Adelaide Snyder was dying and chose not to prolong the process. Terri Schiavo was not dying, was physically healthy and could have lived a normal life span.

    Adelaide Snyder died quietly in her sleep. Terri Schiavo died a horrific and barbaric death of dehydration over a period of nearly 14 days.

    Your paper seems to be on a quest to rationalize the needless and cruel death of this innocent disabled woman by skewing the facts, making comparisons where none exist and disregarding them where they do. Perhaps in the future you might exercise a little control as you continue to attempt to justify her death.

    If that doesn't work, perhaps you can pretend Terri was a death row inmate convicted of some heinous crime, or even a family pet that was being abused or neglected, because surely if either were the case, your paper would have come running to her defense.

    Joleigh Little
    Solon Springs, WI

Many say that The St. Petersburg Times, the newspaper which serves the Clearwater-St. Petersburg area where Terri Schiavo and her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler resided and where the probate court was located, has long engaged in slanting public opinion towards Michael Schiavo and away from Terri's right to live, her parents' decade-long battle to simply take the disabled woman home and care for her. The Times helped sway the public to wrongly label the case a "right to die" case rather than one of disability rights.

Bioethicist Arthur Caplan of the University of Pennsylvania was one of the most outspoken advocates to kill Terri Schiavo, simply on the word of her estranged, conflicted husband. Caplan, Judge George Greer and euthanasia George Felos who used the case to further his own ideological death agenda while he was paid by money from Terri's trust fund that a jury had designated for her therapy and rehabilitation, actually believed and promoted Michael Schiavo's contrived story that Terri had stated off-handedly back in the mid-80s that she wouldn't want to be kept alive by "machines".

Terri wasn't on "machines". The only "life support" Terri was on was assisted feeding, a feeding tube, and of course, back in the 80s when Terri supposedly stated her "wishes", a feeding tube wasn't deemed artificial life support.

The Times has consistently stroked George Greer, trying to improve his image when his own church asked him to leave; preened George Felos and pampered Michael Schiavo. The Times wasn't engaged in reporting the news impartially at the time of the court battle to save her life and during the countdown to her death in March, 2005, they were Michael Schiavo's unpaid public relations agency with Schiavo's biggest fan Caplan being his spokesman.

The Times brags about doing investigative work. Where was their unbiased investigation of the Schiavo case and why didn't they pressure with editorials Pinellas state attorney Bernie McCabe to act, or Charlie Crist in his role as attorney general, then just a gubernatorial wannabee, to protect a vulnerable adult.

But then there's the rest of the story. What the St. Petersburg Times and Caplan didn't disclose is that Caplan is a trustee and member of the national advisory board of the Poynter Institute of St. Petersburg, owner of the St. Petersburg Times.

Perhaps that's why the Times coverage of the Schiavo case was and continues to be so one sided---Caplan sided-Michael Schiavo sided. http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/021606MediaBias.html

The St. Petersburg Times never disclosed that one of their most quoted "experts" in the Schiavo case was in fact a member of their own board and an advocate for Michael Schiavo.

Perhaps that explains why they won't publish letters to the editor which present conflicting views to those of Michael Schiavo, Arthur Caplan and the rest of the right to die gang.

That's the point of the letter, the Terri Schiavo case and the Adelaide R. Snyder are nothing akin, it's like comparing apples to oranges. Mrs. Snyder exercised her choice and her choice was clearly enunciated and known.

Terri Schiavo's was not. Despite all odds, Terri struggled to live for 15 years, negating statements by Schiavo and his supporters that she wanted to die, all who had a vested financial interest in the outcome of the case.

And there's still that long lingering question, just what role DID Michael Schiavo play in the disability of his wife on Feb. 25, 1990?   3-22-07

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