Not only did NBC allow their special anchor Maria Shriver to promote her own report on “Nightly News,” they did it without disclosing that it was made in partnership with a group that liberal billionaire George Soros gave $7.3 million to.
In “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back From the Brink,” which was published on Jan. 11, an outspokenly liberal nun, Sister Joan Chittister, took aim at religious attitudes in America that “devalue” and marginalize women.
Shriver was invited to the White House on Jan. 14 to present her report to President Barack Obama, whom she promoted as being “sympathetic” to working mothers. On NBC “Nightly News” that same night, Shriver contrasted a supportive Obama against a Congress that is supposedly dragging its feet on the matter. "While President Obama has pledged to fix the problem, Congress has been slow to respond," Shriver said.
According to The Shriver Report’s official website, the report was “produced in partnership with the Center for American Progress.” CAP is a liberal activist group, and the parent organization for the liberal Think Progress media outlet. It is also well-connected to liberal politicians Neera Tanden, who has worked for both Obama and Hillary Clinton, currently runs CAP. Obama recently hired CAP founder and former president John Podesta as his new counselor for 2014. Podesta also co-chaired Obama’s transition team.
The Heritage Foundation called Shriver’s main statistic about a wage gap "misleading" and noted that multiple variables factor into the issue including choices of occupations and child care. However, NBC failed to include any experts who disagreed with Shriver's report.
According to Chittister in the report, “women are still one class of people who are set apart, separated, and given less value and worth by multiple religious traditions.”
“Women have been locked out of full humanity and full participation in religious institutions and society at large,” Chittister argued. “This marginalization of women masquerades as ‘protecting’ them and even ‘exalting’ them. Instead, these attitudes serve to deny the human race the fullness of female gifts and a female perspective on life.”
She continued saying, “As a result, women make up two-thirds of the hungry of this world. And women are two-thirds of the illiterate of this world. And women are two-thirds of the poorest of the poor, because they lack access to the resources and recognition men take for granted. That’s not an accident. That is a policy—one supported by religious institutions that call such discrimination ‘women’s place’ and “God’s will.’”
CAP was part of coalition of liberal groups in March of 2012 that targeted the pro-free market American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for having corporate donors and promoting policy initiatives not in line with liberal goals. This attack resulted in several of ALEC’s corporate members withdrawing support. A similar attack was launched by some of the same groups against the State Policy Network.
