From a February 8 press release from the Planned Parenthood media office:
Statement from Stuart Schear, vice president for communications, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on Live Action's Latest Dishonest Videos
This morning Live Action, an organization opposed to legal abortion, released the latest of its secretly recorded videos, this time from Planned Parenthood health centers in New York City.
Planned Parenthood of New York City has reviewed this video carefully, and it is clear that the video cannot be trusted. The conversation as portrayed on this doctored videotape is not accurate.
These tapes are clearly doctored and cannot be trusted.
In an interview with the FBI, the two health center workers featured in the video said that they did not hear the words “sex work” or “sex worker,” uttered by the actors on camera who were hired by Live Action to play the role of a “pimp” on the videotape in an effort to undermine the credibility of Planned Parenthood staff in Live Action's coordinated lobbying effort to support legislation that would bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds.
In addition, it is clear from the edited tape that there are two or more video sources, as well as an additional audio source, increasing the opportunity for manipulation and selective editing.
Unlike other publicized tapes, the hoax “patients” in New York were not able to get beyond the reception desk for a private consultation. Like other encounters that have been recently publicized in Virginia, our staff responded professionally to questions, discussed these encounters with management, and provided a report to the FBI.
We expect Live Action, a political operation, to continue publicizing a number of secretly recorded videotapes made at our health centers in an effort to undermine health center services and support federal legislation designed to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds.
The truth is that Live Action has a history of doctoring video, making false claims and has no credibility. This is a tactic similar to that of James O'Keefe, the discredited right-wing activist long associated with Live Action.
Several news organizations (below) have analyzed Live Action tapes, and found evidence of selective editing to create a false impression.
The public should view any Live Action video with wide-eyed skepticism, as they do not accurately portray what happened.
It is also important to remember that Planned Parenthood acted swiftly when the initial publicized video, taped at a New Jersey health center, showed a now former Planned Parenthood staff member engaging in behavior that is appalling, inconsistent with Planned Parenthood's practices, and in violation of Planned Parenthood's policies. Planned Parenthood has a zero tolerance policy for this behavior and the employee was immediately terminated for violating Planned Parenthood's high standards of health care and ethical conduct.
In addition, Planned Parenthood just announced an April 1, 2011, deadline for all health center staff and educators who have contact with patients and teens be retrained in understanding our policies and procedures for responding to situations that indicate that the welfare of a minor is endangered.
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LIVE ACTION HISTORY OF DOCTORING AND MANIPULATING VIDEO:
Roanoke Times Editorial: Scam video. An editorial in the Roanoke Times rebutted Live Action's edited tape, saying: “Live Action's scurrilous attempts to portray Virginia Planned Parenthood clinics, including the one in Roanoke, as willing facilitators of the sexual exploitation of girls must be denounced for what they are: lies.... What Live Action's surreptitious taping does not -- indeed, could not possibly -- show is the clinic staff's real response to their strange, disturbing visitor.” (Roanoke Times editorial, 2/8/11) http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/276293Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Rebuts Live Action's edited tape in Wisconsin. An editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rebutted Live Action's edited tape, saying: “Live Action says there were conflicting statements in the video about fetal viability, when it's a baby and heart tones vs. heartbeats. But a viewing of the fullest tape available reveals that the clinician and doctor go to lengths to tell the woman about embryonic and fetal development. She leaves before she can be examined.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/2/2010) http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/99791324.html
Los Angeles Times Rebuts Live Action's edited tape in Indianapolis. The Los Angeles Times analyzed a videotape Live Action made inside an Indianapolis Planned Parenthood health center and said, “The conversation in the uncut version is more nuanced than the edited five-minute version, and includes a staffer stating emphatically, 'We have to follow the laws,' and another urging Rose to tell her mother about the pregnancy.” (Los Angeles Times; 4/26/09) http://articles.latimes.com/print/2009/apr/26/nation/na-abortion26
Live Action Doctors and Manipulates Video. According to an analysis by Media Matters, “Live Action also appears to have doctored the audio of its Richmond 'sting,' moving audio from one portion of their video to a different portion.” (Media Matters: “Why Is Live Action Doctoring Its Planned Parenthood Audio?”; 2/4/11)
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201102040026New York Times: Planned Parenthood to Retrain Staff on Reporting Requirements