Independent Analysis of Planned Parenthood “Sting” Videos Finds Deceptive Manipulation
An independent analysis by a team of forensic experts has found the “sting” videos created by the Orwellian “Center for Medical Progress” to smear Planned Parenthood were so deceptively edited they would be useless as evidence in a court case.
Planned Parenthood commissioned independent research firm Fusion GPS to conduct a thorough review of the videos, and their conclusions were scathing:
A thorough review of these videos in consultation with qualified experts found that they do not present a complete or accurate record of the events they purport to depict.
Each release by CMP contained a short edited video, between eight and fifteen minutes in length, that intercuts clips from the undercover recordings with other content, and a “full footage” video that claims to provide the raw, unedited footage of each interview. A video forensics expert, a television producer, an independent transcription agency, and Fusion GPS staff reviewed this material. While these analysts found no evidence that CMP inserted dialogue not spoken by Planned Parenthood staff, their review did conclude that CMP edited content out of the alleged “full footage” videos, and heavily edited the short videos so as to misrepresent statements made by Planned Parenthood representatives. In addition, the CMP transcript for the “full footage” video shot at Planned Parenthood’s Gulf Coast facility in Texas differs substantially from the content of the tape.
At this point, it is impossible to characterize the extent to which CMP’s undisclosed edits and cuts distort the meaning of the encounters the videos purport to document. However, the manipulation of the videos does mean they have no evidentiary value in a legal context and cannot be relied upon for any official inquiries unless supplemented by CMP’s original material and forensic authentication that this material is supplied in unaltered form. The videos also lack credibility as journalistic products.
I watched several of the “complete” videos myself and compared them with parts of the transcripts released by CMP, and it was obvious that they deliberately left out important information, even from the “full” versions of their videos. This analysis confirms what I had already discovered, and powerfully demonstrates CMP’s unhinged, deceptive anti-choice agenda.
Planned Parenthood has been the target of yet another dishonest smear campaign, and it’s time for the media to wake up and stop legitimizing these right wing hit jobs.