What a difference a network makes. Last week, the Morning Joe crew interviewed Washington DC's Cardinal Wuerl about the HHS mandate. They treated him as they would any guest - with polite but hardball questions. Contrast this treatment with yesterday's interview of the Cardinal by official "news" person Martha MacCallum. While she did ask one pertinent question that was also asked on MJ, she also agreed with everything the cardinal said - unlike those on MJ who rebutted a number of the same points made, on America's Newsroom, by this "prince" of the Catholic Church whose ring was figuratively kissed by the Catholic Martha MacCallum. I'm sure the Cardinal enjoys being on the "fair & balanced" Fox "News."

MacCallum reported that the Catholic bishops have rejected the new Obama "accommodation." She showed a Fox Poll (Mirabile Dictu) which showed that 58% of Catholics support the mandate. Wuerl asked the question that was asked Sunday by Fr. Morris; i.e. who is paying.  He noted that if Catholic institutions are "self insured," the Church would have to pay for all these "morally objectionable realities." MaCallum didn't ask, as did MJ's Mike Barnicle, about how Georgetown Universityand other Catholic universities justify their coverage of birth control in their health insurance plans. Wuerl droned on about how this is "redefining religious liberty." When he cited the SCOTUS Hosanna-Tabor case as an example of the courts supporting religious liberty, MacCallum said, "Yes, that was significant." MacCallum didn't say that this was a decision based on the right of a religious institution to fire its own clergy and as such, is different from the provision of health care.

Wuerl tried to compare the policy with freedom of the press. He said that that the media would be very upset "if there were a directive telling them that for the good of the country and because the administration is greatly convinced, you would have to do stories that they provide you." In the middle of his comment, MacCallum said "no doubt." At the end, she affirmed it with "absolutely." When Wuerl said this on MJ, real journalist and co-author of the best seller, "Game Change," Mark Halperin said that media doesn't get federal money as do Catholic institutions. Martha didn't mention that. When MacCallum brought up the numbers of Catholic women who use birth control, Wuerl said that Catholic teaching "isn't determined by the polls." To her question of whether Catholics should protest, he said that the best thing is for Catholics "to be heard." (The bishops are being seen and heard on Fox News). Maccallum said "it's an honor to have you with us."

Obviously, there were time constraints on MacCallum's interview - unlike the Morning Joe segment which was much longer. But even if MacCallum had more time, I doubt that she would have asked Wuerl, as did the Catholic Mika Brzezinsk, about the benefit of free birth control to a minimum wage, non-Catholic worker at a Catholic institution. I don't think the point would be made, as was made by journalist Sam Stein (whose mother is an ob-gyn), that at least 13% of women use birth control pills for medicinal purposes and some women, who are being treated for ovarian cancer, take double doses of birth control pills which cost over $100 a month. And that might be because in its support of the religious liberty of the Catholic Church, Fox "News" does stories that the Church and the GOP provide them? Ya think?