Journalistic Integrity, the Bible, and Marriage in Newsweek's Gay Marriage Piece: A Need to Give Context by Darrell Bock

The issue of sexuality has hit the front page again. Barack Obama selects Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration and all the forces of supposed equality react, saying that someone who stands against gays and gay marriage (read proposition 8) should not be welcome to pray, even though everyone knows this topic is one where a passionate division of opinion exits.

Watching CNN panelists debate the matter on Anderson Cooper last night, I was struck by a position taken by two of the three panelists that said the complaints were not about defending gays and gay rights but about a kind of bigotry Rick Warren is said to represent that should preclude him from participation, even though it is recognized he represents a significant element of the American population as a well known evangelical pastor. On the issue of gays and gay rights, our country struggles to have a conversation versus a shouting match. One national reporter told me years ago that there are few topics that surface in the national media where balance is harder to come by today. The reporter pointed out to me that journalism tends not to do well in this area. It tends to advocate, not report. In the last week we have a vivid illustration of this point, now reinforced by the latest public square exchange (By the way, Obama has someone giving the benediction at his inauguration who believes in gay rights, because Obama said he wanted the inauguration to represent all of America).