How the media should interview a hate group leader such as Tony Perkins

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins's near interview on ABC's 'This Week' generated much deserved controversy on the soft glove treatment the media generally gives him and other anti-lgbt hate group leaders.

Before the cancellation - which we still have no details about - Media Matters provided sound advice on how the media should handle folks like Perkins:

In the past, mainstream media outlets have regularly failed to identify FRC as an anti-LGBT hate group, instead allowing it to pass as a serious policy organization. Outlets have treated Perkins as a credible and legitimate conservative commentator, regularly inviting him to speak on behalf of Christians without identifying him as a hate monger.  But last April, Bob Schieffer, former host of CBS’ Face The Nation, set the gold standard when it comes to interviewing members of groups such as FRC  by accurately identifying Perkins as the president of “an anti-gay hate group.”

 

Media owe audiences pertinent information about the guests they bring on to offer commentary. In the wake of the Orlando massacre at a gay nightclub, it is vital hosts disclose Perkins’ extreme anti-LGBT record to provide audiences with the necessary context to adequately assess his commentary.

It's not that members of the media should refuse to interview Perkins. It's just that they shouldn't allow him to misrepresent himself or his organization. Perkins is not a faith leader. He is the leader of a group which cynically exploits religion and fears via lies and demonization to undermine the rights of the lgbt community.