Homosexuality In The Media

Did you catch that? What was on the table at the NLGJA conference was the question whether allowing those with differing viewpoints on homosexuality and homosexual rights activists is worth it!

CBS correspondent and NLJGA member Jeffrey Kofman made himself clear: "The argument (is): Why do we constantly see in coverage of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues the homophobes and the fag-haters quoted in stories when, of course, we don't do that with Jews, blacks, et cetera?"

Paula Madison, vice president of diversity at NBC and news director for the NBC's New York City affiliate WNBC, added: "I agree with him. I don't see why we would seek out ... the absurd, inane point of view just to get another point of view."

Kofman rejoined: "All of us have seen and continue to see a lot of coverage that includes perspectives on gay [homosexual] issues that include people who just simply are intolerant and perhaps not qualified as well."

All this in the name of political correctness and conviction.^[3]

"The reason the Times, and to a lesser extent the Post, are so important, and they are, is because the TV and radio - all of the media - copy it sycophantically," he [John Stossel] said. "That's how bias at the Times becomes bias in other media."^[5]

Enough already. Gay sex is wrong, unhealthy (especially between men), and my hunch is it’s still pretty off-putting to most FOX viewers who are honest with themselves. And that’s OK. But I’ll go further: if there is a growing acceptance of homo-sexual behavior, especially among young people, that’s not a good thing but a sign of America’s descent into decadence, and our departure from a transcendent Judeo-Christian moral code that has served this nation well.^[8]

Our question for Fox News executives is: if you are truly “fair and balanced,” will you now give an equal and corresponding grant to Americans for Truth or another pro-family organization, say, Accuracy in Media, that counters the ubiquitous pro-”gay” spin in the media? We’ll be awaiting your answer.^[9]

"In the month after the Dirkhising murder, however, Nexus recorded only 46 stories...

He sums up by quoting the surprisingly candid Andrew Sullivan - an openly gay columnist for the liberal New Republic.

Wrote Sullivan: "The Shepard case was hyped for political reasons: to build support for inclusion of homosexuals in a federal hate crimes law. The Dirkhising case was ignored for political reasons: squeamishness about reporting a story that could feed anti-gay prejudice and the lack of any pending legislation to hang a story on ... Some deaths - if they affect a politically protected class - are worth more than others. Other deaths, those that do not fit a politically correct profile, are left to oblivion."^[14]

Fox News is a regular exhibitor at these annual Job Fairs. News Corp sponsored the opening reception for first time attendees in 2006, as well as sponsoring workshops on Journalism in various colleges in 2007.^[15]

O'Reilly, watched heavily by conservatives and Christians alike, shocked much of his constituency on September 3, 2002 when he publicly announced his support of homosexual rights in the nation's largest “gay” publication, The Advocate. His sympathetic, lenient views on “gay” adoption and his mixed-message stance on “gay” marriage have caused great dissent among his loyalists - and no doubt cost him viewers.^[19]

Stephen Bennett, who says he left his homosexual lifestyle nearly 11 years ago, has distributed a 60-minute audio tape program called the "The O'Reilly Shocker," in which he responds to host Bill O'Reilly's characterization of people who take the Bible literally as "religious fanatics.".

Bennett said he has received hundreds of e-mails from viewers of the segment who said they were outraged at O'Reilly's "anger and verbal abuse." ^[20]

"The law provides that even copyrighted material may be used, provided it's used not for commercial gain but for comment," DePrimo says. "Stephen Bennett used the material from the O'Reilly show simply to rebut the arguments O'Reilly put forward."

The attorney implies there may be another reason the popular O'Reilly wants distribution of the tape stopped -- and it has to do with image. "O'Reilly promotes himself as a conservative," DePrimo explains. "In fact, Bennett's tape shows that O'Reilly is simply another media elite who's advancing the homosexual agenda -- and he doesn't want to be exposed for what he is."^[21]

July 29, 2003

...Last night, "Boy Meets Boy," a dating game for homosexual men where some straight men are thrown into the mix, aired on NBC's Bravo cable channel. This came on the heels of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," another new Bravo show that last week got bumped up to prime time Thursday, the same night that NBC airs its homosexual-themed sitcom "Will & Grace."... But there has been a backlash against homosexuality, according to a poll released yesterday by USA Today....opposition to same-sex "marriages" had risen to 57 percent, the highest opposition since the question was first posed in 2000. "People feel there is a wave coming, so there's a resistance," said Tim Graham, an analyst with the Media Research Center. "People ask if anyone is going to fight. This White House won't. The Bush administration knows what the media hot buttons are."^[24]

The report, The Media Assault on American Values, reveals that media messages could be undermining pillars of America’s cultural edifice: strength of character, sexual morality and respect for God. The report is based upon findings of a major scientific survey commissioned by CMI, a division of the Media Research Center.

The National Cultural Values Survey reveals a striking correlation between greater exposure to television and lenient moral views. Heavy television viewers (four hours or more per evening) are less committed to virtues like honesty and charity, and more permissive about sex, abortion and homosexuality. Light television viewers (one hour or less per evening) are more likely to attend religious services and abide by God’s principles....

Ten Americans believe Hollywood is harming the nation’s moral condition for every one who thinks Hollywood is helping.^[25]

The index found that 15 percent of all of ABC's primetime programming hours during a 12-month span contained either homosexual characters or the discussion of homosexuality. The CW was second at 12 percent, followed by CBS (9 percent), NBC (7 percent) and Fox (6 percent). For their content ABC was rated "good," the CW, CBS and NBC "fair" and Fox "poor".

Television's positive portrayal has certainly contributed to the rise in the acceptance of homosexuality as natural, normal and healthy.^[26]

Straight News quoted Mike Wallace as calling the average homosexual "promiscuous" and "not interested in or capable of a lasting relationship like that of a heterosexual.^[14]