ABC: Screw Objectivity, We're for Gay Marriage; GMA Hosts Celebrate On-Air
The personalities hosting Good Morning America made little effort to hide their joy over the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling, Wednesday. During live coverage of the case on the west coast version of the program, news anchor George Stephanopoulos tossed the story to the openly gay Sam Champion, hyping his same sex nuptials: "You and Rubem [Robierb] married in December. I can only imagine what this day feels like to you."
Champion marveled at the result: "My heart is pounding, like really thumping in my chest." He then lectured, "It's very easy to discount this into a legal brief or to say that they are theories. But this is about people's lives." The weatherman told viewers that "people all over this country" want "to know that they're equal and that their feelings for someone that they love can be legitimized and is just as right as their neighbors."
News reader Josh Elliott proceeded to give Champion a hug. Elliott, like Champion, is aggressively pro-gay marriage. On March 24, 2012, the news reader appeared at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation awards and gushed over media subjectivity: "I'm proud to work at a place that believes in advocacy journalism!"
Champion also took to Twitter to promote the Court's ruling.
With this type of atmosphere at GMA, how can anyone remotely opposed to gay marriage expect to get objective treatment?
A partial transcript of the June 26 exchange can be found below:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Sam, I'm looking across the table. Sam, You and Rubem married in December. I can only imagine what this day feels like to you.
SAM CHAMPION: My heart's pounding, like really thumping in my chest. I think Gavin Newsom said it amazingly to me. It’s very easy to discount this into a legal brief or to say that they are theories. But this is about people’s lives. And there are people all over this country just looking to know that they’re equal and that their feelings for someone that they love can be legitimized and is just as right as their neighbors.' And so, to me, it's a true affirmation.
[Josh Elliott and Champion hug.]
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
