Nathan Lee was doing his job. He reviewed Kirby Dick's documentary "Outrage" for NPR.org and accurately reported that the film criticized former Idaho senator Larry Craig and Florida Governor Charlie Crist as hypocritical politicians with anti-gay voting records.
That is not news to anyone who listens to NPR, nor are the rumors about both men's sexuality. Craig is infamous for having been arrested for soliciting an undercover officer for gay sex in an Minneapolis airport restroom. Crist has publicly faced direct questions about his sexual orientation since 2005. Both are elected officials, public figures, who have -- by their own actions -- made their sexuality relevant to their job performance.
And yet, NPR.org refused to print the names of these politicians in Lee's review. Lee then asked that his byline be removed, and offered an explanation for his decision to readers -- which was published, then partially redacted by NPR.org.
Let me try to put this in perspective. Back in 1976, Secretary of Agriculture of Earl Butz was forced to resign because of dirty racist joke he told in front of John Dean and Pat Boone on a commercial flight after the Republican National Convention. The mainstream press would not report what, in fact, he actually said. So, a cabinet official lost his job and the American people were not told why. Only the Toledo (OH) Blade and the Madison (WI) Capital Times (and Rolling Stone) accurately reported the joke that cost him his position at the highest levels of the US government: "The only thing the coloreds are looking for in life are tight pussy, loose shoes and a warm place to shit."
That was 33 years ago. If you want to understand why the mainstream press has failed its mission so disastrously, and is suffering the dire economic consequences, don't blame the Internet -- blame the traditional press for its own lapses. NPR.org claims it has a policy against "outing." But that's not the issue here. This is not a case of "outing" a private individual for private behavior any more than the Monica Lewinski scandal or George W. Bush's alcohol problems were. It is not like reporting the name of a rape victim. These are public officials whose sexuality has a bearing on their political positions. Lee was simply reporting what was, in fact, contained in Dick's documentary -- and what had already been reported in nationwide news outlets. A mug-shot photo of Larry Craig (see above) even accompanies Lee's "Outrage" review.
This is absurd -- and we should expect higher standards of NPR, probably the most rigorously accurate news organization in the country. They owe Lee, Dick, and their web audience a correction and an apology.
I saw Outrage at the Philly premiere with Kirby Dick in attendance. At the Q&A he was asked if he expected to be sued by anybody, esp. Charlie Crist. He replied "No, because then we would have to go through discovery and Charlie Crist doesn't want that."
However, even if you still have qualms about "outing" Crist, that has nothing in the world to do with publishing a review _about_ the movie. If the movie claimed that George Bush molested squirrels, it would certainly be valid in a review of THAT MOVIE to state the film's claim about Bush's squirrel-molesting. Because it's in the freaking movie that you're writing about.
How exactly was Lee supposed to review the movie if he didn't discuss any of the film's content? I mean, I know a good critic likes to minimize plot summary but you gotta say something.
That's just pitiful.
Good movie, by the way. Much better than I expected from what seemed like it would be pretty dry material.
It is disingenuous for conservatives to harp on Outrage director Kirby Dick for supposedly
"outing" politicians by using details of their private sexual lives when they were almost, to a person united in their outrage over Bill Clinton's private sexual affairs.
Bill Clinton showed a monumental lack of judgment in his torrid affair with Monica Lewinsky and he should have resigned, something that many, many liberals stated so at the time.
But at least Clinton didn't try to ban heterosexual marriage or work at keeping straight couples from adopting unwanted kids.
When a nit-wit like Larry Craig gets caught soliciting sex from men in a public toilet, however pathetic he may be as a human being, his hypocrisy as a politician needs to be exposed.
I was also at the Outrage screening in Philadelphia with Kirby Dick in attendance and if anything, Mr. Dick is way too kind to the hypocrites.
His film actually makes you feel sorry for the supremely deluded Larry Craig. A man that removed from his sexual life is experiencing cognitive dissonance is an unhealthy way.
Larry Craig needs our compassion, he needs psychiatric help; but what Larry Craig does not need is a vote in the senate.
Asking why Kirby Dick focuses mostly on conservative republicans in his film is the wrong question.
Why is it that the vast majority of hypocritical and sexually confused politicians ARE conservative republicans is the better question.
I think the vast majority of self-described conservatives are not anti-gay. As a libertarian myself, I don't think the government has any business poking its nose into the bedrooms of America. But I am becoming increasingly upset by the sheer nastiness of gay activists to those who peacefully reject their ideas on gay marriage. These "activists" will not be happy until they are allowed to buttf*ck on the lead float of the Rose parade. And they do a real disservice to the average gay peson just trying to lead their life by causing backlash against their strident positions.
Nice strawman, xochoco. Yes, I'm sure you think it's just a colorful exaggeration. I think it it's to hide the fact that you have failed to come up with a persuasive real-life example to support your point, so you come up with a conveniently silly example.
xochoco- what an immature, offensive and pointless reply to make. It has nothing to do with the topic of the blog post and simply shows the hypocrisy of your beliefs.
As gay individuals are by a vast majority the group most likely to fall victim to hate crimes it seems ridiculous to make a comment like yours.
Jim --
Here are my Chicago Sun-Times review and follow-up feature/interview with Kirby Dick directly discussing the NPR nonsense. (As you know, Roger has been in Cannes.)
Review from Friday, May22:
http://viewfromhere.typepad.com/the_view_from_here/2009/05/outrage-kirby-dicks-disturbing-look-at-sexual-hypocrisy-in-high-places.html
Feature from today/Monday May 25:
http://viewfromhere.typepad.com/the_view_from_here/2009/05/outrages-points-left-out-by-liberal-media-a-talk-with-director-kirby-dick.html
best wishes,
Andrew Patner
xochoco wrote: "I am becoming increasingly upset by the sheer nastiness of gay activists to those who peacefully reject their ideas on gay marriage." I have to ask: do you believe that it's OK to discriminate as long as you do so "peacefully"?
It seems to me that conservatives think they're being persecuted every time someone tells them they're wrong about anything. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism.
Wichael Wong wrote:Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism." My point exactly. Supporters of Prop 8 were boycotted, harrassed and threatened by gay activists...not just criticized.
PS: I apologize to anyone who was offended by my colorful metaphor in the original post.
Xochoco, no need to apologize. I'm gay and thought it was funny. Couldn't have been more colorful an example, either! I don't like the tactics of extremist gay activists and am much more conservative in my daily life. No boas for me. I do have to hand it to them, though, because without the noise, we wouldn't be as far as we are today. Yes, it's annoying -- but they're doing it precisely to get attention. They shouldn't do anything illegal, of course, but have they done anything at all that has not been perpetrated on gay people for a very long time? The American Family Association is known for their bullying boycotts against many companies that support gay rights (Ford, Disney, Proctor/Gamble, PepsiCo, so boycotting is not a new concept to them. Anti-gay harrassment and threats are so common that they aren't even reported. But when Prop-8 opponents demonstrate in a churct -- now THAT is newsworthy. It was wrong to do it, but it certainly did drive home a point about how MAD we've been made by conservative activists. Live and let live. Then there'd be no need for anything but flowers at the Rose Parade!