While CNN claims to be non-partisan [1],
anchors have been openly expressing their favor for same-sex marriage
and advocating the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Host
Piers Morgan and anchor Don Lemon even descended into smearing opponents
of same-sex marriage as "homophobic" and akin to segregationists.
On Wednesday, Morgan tweeted [2], "What politicians are beginning to realise - hardly anyone under 30 is homophobic. #RIPDOMA". He added [3] "RIP #DOMA....you will not be missed, no flowers necessary."
[Video below. Audio here [4].]
Lemon, as NewsBusters reported [5], linked opponents of same-sex marriage to opponents of interracial marriage last Friday. On Sunday he belittled [6]
a conservative guest who simply argued that same-sex marriage is not
illegal, just not recognized by many states and the federal government.
On his Tuesday night show, Morgan attacked opposition to same-sex
marriage as "a bit offensive," and added "It's not fair. It's not
tolerant. It's not American." He went after The Heritage Foundation's
Ryan Anderson who argued in favor of traditional marriage.
Instead of sitting Anderson at the host table along with same-sex
marriage advocate Suze Orman, Morgan put him in the audience which
applauded after Morgan made his "It's not American" remark. Morgan did
his best to make the emotional case against Anderson's argument:
"Do you understand why I feel, especially with Suze sitting here, an incredibly successful American business icon who's been in a 12-year relationship with a woman she loves very deeply, I find it extraordinary that you as a fellow American would be quite happy to see a prisoner's rights upheld to get married, and you'd be quite happy to have a principle which says it's about procreation even if people are 60 or 70 year-olds and can't procreate if they're women. But you don't want Suze to have the right to marry the woman she loves. I find that bizarre..."
Meanwhile, other CNN anchors and reporters either supported same-sex marriage or reported in its favor.
Starting Point host Soledad O'Brien voiced her support for same-sex marriage on Wednesday: "And I kind of believe that marriage is, you know, pretty much for anybody who feels like they want to enter into what can be kind of a crazy time."
Correspondent Joe Johns framed the definition of marriage as between a
man and a woman as "discrimination" while reporting on the Supreme Court
hearings on California's Proposition 8 and DOMA.
"On a legal level, of course, the question is very simple. Whether the government can discriminate.
Whether the government can treat same-sex couples and straight couples
differently," he told anchor Carol Costello on Tuesday morning's
Newsroom.
Below is a transcript of the remarks that aired on CNN:
CNN
NEWSROOM
3/26/13
[9:05 a.m. EDT]
JOE JOHNS, CNN crime and justice correspondent: And the sun is out here at the Supreme Court, rallies getting started. A very large crowd getting larger really, by the minute. Underscoring the fact that this case is at the center of the American culture wars. Also pointing out just how long many of the supporters of gay rights have waited for this day. On a legal level, of course, the question is very simple. Whether the government can discriminate. Whether the government can treat same-sex couples and straight couples differently.
(...)
CNN
PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT
3/26/13
[9:04 p.m. EDT]
PIERS MORGAN: What about prisoners? At the moment under your logic, prisoners have a fundamental right to get married. Even if they're in prison and can't actually have sex with anybody. You would rather defend a prisoner's right to get married than you would Suze Orman's right to get married to her partner.
RYAN ANDERSON, author, "What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: a Defense": Yep. So the Supreme Court looked at these cases about –
MORGAN: Am I right? Is your answer to that question yes?
ANDERSON: The Supreme Court looked at these cases of the fundamental right to marry for prisoners and they understood again because what marriage is, is a union of a man and a woman, prisoners have that same right, partly because they come out of jail and they still have lives. It's not as if once you go into jail you're there forever.
MORGAN: But you understand why –
ANDERSON: And you can still carry on relationships.
MORGAN: Do you understand why I feel, especially with Suze sitting here, an incredibly successful American business icon who's been in a 12-year relationship with a woman she loves very deeply, I find it extraordinary that you as a fellow American would be quite happy to see a prisoner's rights upheld to get married, and you'd be quite happy to have a principle which says it's about procreation even if people are 60 or 70 year-olds and can't procreate if they're women. But you don't want Suze to have the right to marry the woman she loves. I find that bizarre, but I want you to explain to her what's wrong with her.
ANDERSON: (to Orman) I don't think there's anything wrong with you.
MORGAN: You don't want her to have the same rights as you.
ANDERSON: All Americans have the right to live and to love how they choose to. And we don't need government redefining marriage to make that a reality.
(...)
MORGAN: I saw Elton John and his – and his partner, David Furnish, they were with their second baby they've now got, I've never seen two more loving parents in my life. And the idea that you, Ryan – (Unintelligible) – the idea that you want to stop people like Elton and David or Suze and K.T. from getting married –
ANDERSON: I don't want to stop anyone from living and loving.
MORGAN: – from getting married in America in the modern era, I just find a bit offensive these days. It's not fair, it's not tolerant, it's not American.
(Applause)
(...)
CNN
STARTING POINT
3/27/13
[7:39 a.m. EDT]
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: So, I've been married since I was 30, which is probably a couple years less than you've been married, and actually I'm sort of a believer in --
Gov. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.): Maybe a couple years now, right?
O'BRIEN: – a couple of years now. About two years almost, we're working on. And I kind of believe that marriage is, you know, pretty much for anybody who feels like they want to enter into what can be kind of a crazy time.
-- Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center