Nobody can accuse the broadcast networks of objectivity when it comes to gay "rights."
ABC, CBS and NBC combined devoted nearly 11 minutes of air time during their evening and morning news shows to the May 26 California Supreme Court ruling that upheld Proposition 8, the 2008 state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage. The networks gave gay rights activists more than seven minutes of air time, through interviews and footage of their protests, while they gave Prop 8 supporters less than one minute to talk about their victory.
Each of the networks provided the requisite shots of gay and lesbian couples marrying. ABC's May 26 report on "World News with Charles Gibson" featured a protestor who said the ruling was "dehumanizing." NBC's "Nightly News" story included an unidentified protester asking, "This is America. What's going on here?"
CBS "The Early Show," however, takes the award for the most biased segment on the California ruling.
"The Early Show's" more than 4-minute report on the ruling included a nearly three minute interview with Dustin Lance Black about what this means for the fight for same-sex marriage. Black won an Academy Award for his screenplay "Milk," a bio-pic on the life of the late gay politician Harvey Milk. During his response to host Julie Chen's question of why he thought "Prop 8 passed in the first place," Black implied the gay community would use voter intimidation to force Californians to accept same-sex marriage:
We didn't represent. We didn't reach out. And I think that's what we've got to do this time. We have to -- thankfully we've now identified the community that have voted against us, thanks to proposition 8. We need to reach out to them, we need to educate and tell our personal stories.
Black insisted that the California court ruling was "clearly an issue of same-sex marriage ... an issue of equality" and appeared to care very little about the rights of California voters. Instead he spoke of how this case goes "deeper" than the right to marry:
This goes to, I think, the feeling that I had when I was a teenage kid and I was hearing that there was inequality in this country and I was seeing things that were not true about gay and lesbian people. And you start to feel less than. You start to feel there's something wrong with you. And you're told by your government you're second-class citizen and there are dire solutions that go through your head. And sadly, that is not unique. Gay and lesbian kids are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight brothers and sisters, and nine times more likely if they come from an unaccepting environment. And yesterday, I gotta say, I tuned in and I was watching the pundits on either side, and I was listening to some of the pundits who seemed to be afraid of gay and lesbian equality saying that somehow gay marriage hurts their children and their families. And I gotta say it is the exact opposite. It is those homophobic messages, it is homophobic legislation like Proposition 8, that is literally, literally, costing the United States of America its children.
Chen did not interview any supporters of Prop 8 or the court ruling.
—Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
God forbid the homosexual agenda respects the rule of law
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:39 ET by Lord ErondThe amendment was voted on legitimately by the people of California. They voted to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
I'm sorry that the gays don't get this but I'm sick of having this issue shoved in my face. The homosexual agenda lost, that's it. get over it.
Respect the rule of the law and of the people already
"Let him who would move the world, first move himself." -Socrates
"We sit together, the mountain and I, until only the mountain remains." -Li Po
Voters triumph in CA - Nets cover 'tea baggers'
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:49 ET by Gary HallVoters triumph in CA - Nets cover 'tea baggers.'
See - this time around they like the tea baggers.
Did they catch Anderson amongst the protestors?
Yes, the LAT found a
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 16:02 ET by kgYes, the LAT found a protest the felt good about covering.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
"it is homophobic
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:53 ET by snaggletoothie"it is homophobic legislation like Proposition 8, that is literally,
literally, costing the United States of America its children. " Too bad the mindless newsreader didn't ask him what this outlandish statement could possibly be based on. Homosexual unions produce no children. My experiencehas been that even the most conservative of Americans continue to love and accept any of their children who are homosexual. So I'm confused as to what this bigot could be talking about.
Compare
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:56 ET by slickwillie2001Contrast the coverage given to a few hundred gay protesters in this case with the almost complete lack of coverage of 650,000 Tea Party protesters last month.
Will the gay media mafia led by Anderson Cooper ridicule the Proposition 8 protesters the way they did the Tea Party protesters? Not likely.
No way slick
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 16:31 ET by jdlybrandWhat do you get when you have a few hundred thousand average, ordinary, mainstream Americans who are fed up with the direction we are headed?
Scorn and ridicule.
What do you get when you have a couple of hundred flaming butt pirates pissed off because they don't have 'equal rights'?
Another opportunity to display America's shameful intolerance.
I need to go out and get me some more Pepto.
This is not an issue of
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:57 ET by aericrulesThis is not an issue of human rights, nor is it an issue of equality. It's an issue of political correctness.
Homosexuals already have all the rights of a hetrosexual couple, all of them. Why they would want marriage is beyond me, what with the 50% divorce rate it seems there's no point to it anymore.
The reason homosexuals have identity problems and need hate crimes protection is because they are living a lifestyle they were never created to live and therefore have a built in inferiority complex. You'd think with all the work Hollywood is doing for them they would feel secure enough to just tell off the Prop 8 supporters and move on. But no, they still feel inferior. This issue is far from over.
Up next, triad marriage, polygamy and pedophilia.
Double standards again!!!
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:01 ET by gapeachI was noticing how they were showing the protestors in all their glory (no negative comments whatever from the MSM) -- in aerial shots -- to make it look like the demonstration was so big, they had to be overhead to see the "throngs" of people. Of course, now protesting is a great American, patriotic thing to do. However, the tea parties were just a few wackos who didn't even understand what they were protesting against. Certainly the teabagging comment would be appropriate and accurate here. Also, I caught a little of Larry King last night and he was constantly arguing with the pro-traditional marriage folks and letting the pro-gay marriage folks speak for a long time uninterrupted and little to no argument.
One more observation
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:07 ET by gapeachAnother thing that Larry King put out last night was a statement by the Mormons who were pleased with the ruling yesterday and then asked his most popular question (to the pro-gay marriage folks), "What do you make of that?" Naturally, it's okay to highlight the Mormon's satisfaction with the ruling -- after all, they are "safe" to demonize. The pro-gay marriage side doesn't get asked about how they feel about African-Americans and Hispanics who are more conservative on this issue and by a majority, are also pleased with the ruling. It is so much easier and politically correct to rip on the Mormons.
Homophobes lied, children died
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:12 ET by SickofLibsProp 8 is costing the US it's children? WTF is this idiot talking about?
Attention Dusty: all our children are not suicidal homosexuals, however attractive that may be to you drama queens.
Well, at least they have the Morning Show for an ongoing venue where they can say ANYTHING and not be called on it. Keep up the good work, Harriet, Chen and ChiChi.
Apparently this heterophobe
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:23 ET by NL207Apparently this heterophobe thinks these gays will produce children without the aid of third paties. This is perfectly in tune with liberal philosophy in general, which states that heat comes from a furnace, food comes from a grocery store and children come from marriage. The heterophobe's logic is flawless, is it not?
Yup, flawlessly flawed logic
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:44 ET by SickofLibsI believe if homosexuals could find a way to be guaranteed their adopted, implanted, whatever, children would turn out gay, they would do it in heartbeat, you know, "for the cause."
Reason? We all want the best for our children, and the homosexual lifestyle is so obviously superior to that of heterosexuals.
Beck
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:22 ET by pcantidoteBeck had it right last night when he said that governments should be looking to get out of the marriage (a religious institution) business altogether, whether straight or gay.
Enforce Term Limits if They Won't: Vote Against ALL Incumbents in 2010.
I expect nothing less from
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:30 ET by bigtimerI expect nothing less from the msm...they are agenda-driven for the left and always be....they drive politics/issues, they are the power...don't ask me what can be done about it anymore....seems nothing will ever stop them with their bias, I'm past fed up with all of this.
Btw...I was surprised the 9th Circuit didn't over-turn the will of the voters in Ca....they must be sick of being over-turned all the time.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Point of order, BT
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:29 ET by ChaitealoverIt wasn't the 9th Circuit [that's federal], it was the California Supreme Court
Chai
“Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us” - Thomas Jefferson
Hey Chaitealover... Well
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:50 ET by bigtimerHey Chaitealover...
Well frost my flakes...thank you very much for that important info., I guess I assumed that was where this went, that's what I get for assumptions, I also should have had the sound up yesterday when this decision came down, all they were showing were the protesters so I didn't want to hear it...lol.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
I was so happy when I heard
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:31 ET by CamelopardalisI was so happy when I heard the news of the Prop 8 ruling (I live in CA). I noticed this, too. The local news that I watched showed footage of a 'Yes on Prop 8' rally in Sacramento (for about 2-3 seconds, maybe?) and a man who gave a one-sentence comment supporting the ruling, but that was it. The rest of the footage (probably around 2 minutes) was of gay couples reacting to the ruling and 'No on Prop 8' rally. Then later, they flew a helicopter over a growing 'No on Prop 8' rally in West Hollywood. The rally was blocking traffic during rush hour. They returned to live footage of the rally three times in less than half an hour. Oh well.
"We need to reach out to
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:39 ET by Texasteacher"We need to reach out to them, we need to educate and tell our personal stories"
I don't need educating on this issue. I know the scientific statistics that state that homosexuality is dangerous, destructive, and unnatural. I know the moral issue of it being morally wrong. I know the psychological issue that drives people to suicide because they can't cope with breaking natural law.
"You start to feel there's something wrong with you. And you're told by
your government you're second-class citizen and there are dire
solutions that go through your head"
Yes, there is something wrong with you. You are an abomination to nature. What's truly humorous about it is that it's by your own choice. Homosexuality is completely unnatural and you expect everyone to be nice to you for it. You being a second-class citizen is more than you deserve. Those of us who at least try to live upstanding, moral, and productive lives owe you and your kind nothing, especially if you plan to use voter intimidation. That's the greatness of democracy. The people voted against allowing the institution of marriage to be desecrated. The courts upheld this vote. Demanding a re-vote after being little bastards about losing isn't going to help you one bit. If you don't like the democratic process not going your way, then go make a little fag utopia in some other country that wants it. Like france. Quit being a bunch of little heterophobic a**holes.
obama's notion of bi-partisanship is telling conservatives to shut up and do what he wants.
...
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:16 ET by Eugenia"...the networks provided the requisite shots of gay and lesbian
couples marrying...featured a protestor who said the ruling was 'dehumanizing.'"
Awwww, how sweet. I guess they couldn't find the tapes of the annual perverse gay pride parades or annual San Francisco Folsom Street parade with real despicable displays of simulated sodomy, naked "dikes on bikes" (as they call themselves)...you know, that whole bastion of upstanding and decent Americans. Nothing dehumanizing there. Real child-friendly outings, in other words. Yeah, hmmm, I wonder where those tapes were....
Real Tough Guys
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:35 ET by easygoerI'd like to see these gay extremists go into South-Central or the Barrio in LA and intimidate voters in those neighborhoods. They're the ones that are responible for gay marriage going down. If only whites and Asians had voted, gay marriage would now be legal in California and everything would be right with their world.
The local coverage here in
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:36 ET by ChaitealoverThe local coverage here in San Diego was the same - pics of gay weddings, group shots of complainers, 3 or 4 comments from people protesting democracy in action, then one slide of a statement from one prop 9 supporter
Chai
“Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us” - Thomas Jefferson
New Hampshire
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 15:17 ET by slickwillie2001What is happening in New Hampshire is instructive, because it demonstrates what the next step is after forcing gay marriage on us. Once gay marriage is the law, their supporters will demand that all religions support ceremonies for gay marriage:
Gay Marriage Bill Stalls in New Hampshire: http://www.reuters.com
Protestors in LA decided to
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 15:21 ET by Another Dead KennedyProtestors in LA decided to block major intersections during rush hour - one sure way to piss off everyone, regardless of which side we support.
But now it's official - a suit has been filed in federal court by the Bush v Gore lawyers, teaming up this time (Olson and Boies). This thing ain't over by a long shot.
I know it's exactly
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 18:00 ET by Chris NormanI know it's exactly opposite of their intention, but by spotlighting the pro-gay marriage demonstrators with their obnoxious signs and chants about "hate" and "Shame on you California", they are doing far more for the anti-gay marriage side than the demonstrators - who look like the hateful people they are. These rabid demonstrators are turning off voters who might normally be on their side. There's nothing like a snarling face protesting "hate"...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
"dehumanizing."??? Wow,
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 00:35 ET by rbosque"dehumanizing."???
Wow, that word is out of place there.