However, according to a new report by Equality Matters, the mainstream media is not only ignoring this but seems going out of its way to give FRC and its spokespeople credibility:
In November of 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed the Family Research Council as an anti-gay hate group due to its “propagation of known falsehoods” about the LGBT community. Since being listed, however, FRC spokespersons have been invited 52 times to discuss issues ranging from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to the 2012 presidential campaign. Despite FRC’s long history of producing anti-gay propaganda, every major news network has invited the group on national television while failing to acknowledge its hate group designation.
Analysis: News Networks Regularly Host Family Research Council Spokespersons
FRC Listed As An Anti-Gay Hate Group In November 2010. In November 2010, the Family Research Council (FRC) was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) list of anti-gay hate groups due to its “propagation of known falsehoods” about gays and lesbians. [SPLC, November 2010]
FRC Spokespersons Made 52 Television Appearances Since Being Labeled A Hate Group. According to an Equality Matters analysis*, FRC spokespersons – including Tony Perkins, Peter Sprigg, and Ken Blackwell – have been invited to appear on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a total of 54 times in the twelve months since Perkins first appeared on MSNBC to discuss being labeled as a hate group. 24 of those appearances were on Fox News, 19 were on MSNBC, and 11 were on CNN.
And Equality Matters' report notes the exact reasons why FRC should be considered as a hate group:
SPLC: FRC’s “Specialty Is Defaming Gays And Lesbians.” From an October 7 SPLC report:The Family Research Council (FRC) bills itself as “the leading voice for the family in our nation’s halls of power,” but its real specialty is defaming gays and lesbians. The FRC often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science. The intention is to denigrate LGBT people in its battles against same-sex marriage, hate crimes laws and anti-bullying programs. To make the case that the LGBT community is a threat to American society, the FRC employs a number of “policy experts” whose “research” has allowed the FRC to be extremely active politically in shaping public debate. [...]The FRC also strongly promotes the “ex-gay” movement as a way to combat LGBT civil rights measures, though professional organizations have repeatedly called so-called “reparative therapy” (which seeks to turn gays and lesbians into heterosexuals) into question and issued statements that don’t support it. [...]
Part of the FRC’s recent strategy is to pound home the false claim that gays and lesbians are more likely to sexually abuse children. This is false. The American Psychological Association, among others, has concluded that “homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are.” That doesn’t matter to the FRC, though. [SPLC Report, “The Anti-Gay Lobby,” 10/7/11, via LGBTQNation, emphasis added]
Equality Matters also notes that FRC president Tony Perkins continues to be an invited guest on news programs even though he said the following (which by the way no one on these news programs have ever questioned him about):
- “It Gets Better” Project Tries To “Recruit” Kids Into A “Lifestyle” Of “Perversion.” [Right Wing Watch, 8/18/11]
- “Research Is Overwhelming” That Gay Men Are More Likely To Molest Children. [MSNBC, Hardball, 11/29/11]
- Gay Teens Commit Suicide Because They Know Being Gay Is “Abnormal.” [National Public Radio, 10/26/10]
- Anti-Bullying Programs Promote “Indoctrination Into Homosexuality.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 5/26/11]
- Gay Activists Are Intolerant, Hateful, Spiteful Pawns Of The Devil. [Right Wing Watch, 5/3/11]
- Senators Who Vote For DADT Repeal Will Have “The Blood Of Innocent Soldiers On Their Hands.” [Right Wing Watch, 12/16/10]
- "Kids Do Worse In These Same-Sex Households. They’re More Susceptible To Violence.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends Sunday, 4/24/11]
- Gays Are Trying To “Spread Fear And Intimidation So That They Can Disrupt And Destabilize” The Legal System, Like Terrorists. [Good As You, 4/29/11]
And also how FRC spokesperson Peter Sprigg is an invited guest even though he has a reputation of not only smearing the gay community but creating "studies" filled with junk science:
SPLC: Sprigg Relies On Junk Science To Produce Anti-Gay Research. From an October 7 SPLC report:
- Anti-Bullying Programs Indoctrinate “Impressionable School Children.” [FRC Pamphlet, “Homosexuality In Your Child’s School,” 2006]
- Transgender People Should “Stop Pretending To BE The Opposite Of Your Real Sex.” [Peter Sprigg tweet, 3/9/11]
- Harvey Milk May Have Been A Pedophile, Faked A Hate Crime. [WorldNetDaily, 8/12/09]
- It Is Better To “Export Homosexuals From The United States Than To Import Them Into The United States.” [Medill Reports, 3/19/08]
Sprigg authored a 2010 brochure touting “The Top Ten Myths about Homosexuality.” In the brochure, Sprigg claimed that ex-gay therapy works, that sexual orientation can change, that gay people are mentally ill simply because homosexuality makes them that way, and that, “Sexual abuse of boys by adult men is many times more common than consensual sex between adult men, and most of those engaging in such molestation identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual.” He also claimed that “homosexuals are less likely to enter into a committed relationship” and “less likely to be sexually faithful to a partner.” Sprigg’s sources are a mixture of junk science issued by groups that support ex-gay therapy and legitimate science quoted out of context or cherry-picked, a tactic long used by anti-gay groups to bolster their claims about gay people. [SPLC Report, “The Anti-Gay Lobby,” 10/7/11, via LGBTQNation, emphasis added]
This situation is a damned disgrace. It's not a paradox. It is not complicated. FRC is not an organization defending "traditional morality" or the so-called Biblical view of homosexuality.
The Family Research Council is a group which deliberately spreads lies and propaganda geared to marginalizing and dehumanizing the lgbtq community.
If this was an organization making false claims about the African-American community and creating junk science studies to back up these claims, no legitimate organization would be giving it credibility.
If this was an organization making false claims about the Jewish community and creating junk science studies to back these claims up, there would be no need to have this discussion.
What's the difference here?
It's something which needs to be addressed immediately. Otherwise the mainstream media's credibility when talking about lgbtq issues is highly suspect.
Related post:
16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group
I've heard reporters say that the reason groups like this get invited back is because rumors of the "liberal media conspiracy" have reached their ears. In fact, they're quite afraid of it. Thus, in an effort to combat these concerns and show that left-leaning experts aren't the only ones they'll put on, they try to find counterparts on the other side of the political spectrum. Unfortunately, since everyone who has legitimately done their homework is on our side, the only ones they can find are these people from hate groups. Unfortunately, as long as people rant about the liberal bias of the media, these mainstream groups are going to be afraid to leave out the conservative viewpoints on issues like this.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Patrick is right about trying to show no bias. I think it predates the "liberal media" conspiracy theory, since this "fair and balanced" approach has been used since the beginnings of Global Warming warnings. In trying to appear fair and balanced, media outlets create a sense of inconclusiveness for their audiences. Also, I think it helps create a sense of controversy that drives up viewership. American TV viewers want conflict, even if it is made up or blown out of proportion.
ReplyDeletei am more interesting in the name of the author - 'black tsunami'.
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