Fox News Cites Poll Supporting Abortion Restrictions But Fails To Disclose Anti-Choice Group That Commissioned It

During coverage of the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, Fox News correspondent Shannon Bream reported that a recent poll found “81 percent of Americans think abortion should be limited to the first three months of pregnancy” without disclosing that the poll was commissioned by a “pro-life” group.

Bream did not mention that the poll was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, a self-identified "pro-life" group, that supports numerous anti-choice activities including the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., and believes life begins at “the moment of conception.” According to Catholics for Choice, the Knights of Columbus has waged “a decades-long battle against abortion legislation.”

Other polling has found that 39 percent of Americans do not self-identify as either “pro-choice” or “pro-life” and that the wording of polling on abortion can influence the outcome. Vox found that “more people support abortion rights when the poll language focuses on women.” A 2014 NARAL-commissioned poll of registered voters found “68.7 percent said that government should not restrict a woman's access to abortion.”

From the January 22 broadcast of America's Newsroom (emphasis added):

SHANNON BREAM: And ahead of the event today we've got an interesting new poll from Marist. It shows that 81 percent of Americans think that abortion should be limited to first 3 months of pregnancy. That includes 66 percent, two thirds of people who in this survey identified themselves as pro-choice. The folks here today are arguing that there is common ground and they say, rather than fighting, they hope they can find that.