CBS Responds to Demonstrators at KPIX with Written Statement on Super Bowl Advocacy Ad

A commercial set to air during the Super Bowl reportedly will feature football star Tim Tebow and will recount the story of his mother Pam Tebow’s pregnancy. After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she supposedly ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child. The problem with this story? Feminist organizations say that abortion was not even legal in the Philippines at that time, putting the truth factor of the tale in question.

Today, women and men from organizations that support women's reproductive rights demonstrated in front of the CBS affiliate KPIX-TV in San Francisco. They called on the network to "cut the corporate B.S." and gave many interviews to reporters from other corporate media, including CNN. Maryann Thomas of World Can't Wait said that CBS has refused to run ads from even slightly left-leaning organizations like MoveOn.org. The Feminist Majority Foundation reported that even after deciding to run its very first advocacy ad from a right-wing organization, CBS declined to accept a paid commercial for gay rights.

CBS issued the following statement to the demonstrators:

From:
Akilah Bolden-Manifa

Subject: Statement if requested by protestors [sic]

We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms on the issue. In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time. At CBS, our standards and practices process continues to adhere to a process that ensures all ads--on all sides of the issue--are appropriate for air. We will continue to consider responsibly produced ads from all groups for the few remaining spots in Super Bowl XLIV."

Members of the Raging Grannies and CodePink Women for Peace, discussing the statement in front of the station, pointed out that the operative phrases in the CBS statement are "responsibly produced" and "appropriate for air". They said that it is clear that CBS is leaving wiggle room for political bias in their choice of advocacy ads.