Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!auvm!MAINE!CORCORAN From: CORCORAN@MAINE Newsgroups: bit.listserv.gaynet Subject: Re: andy rooney Message-ID: Date: 12 Feb 90 15:34:00 GMT Sender: Gaynet Distribution List Reply-To: GAYNET@ATHENA.MIT.EDU Lines: 34 Approved: NETNEWS@AUVM Gateway Why censor Mr. Rooney? 1) because racism is (theoretically) illegal in this country and 2) because the news media in this country pretends to be an objective, neutral source of information. 3) Mr Rooney's remarks are oppressive to both blacks and gays and should not be tolerated by any enlightened society. Mr Rooney is entitled to his views, but only as a private citizen. As a member of the news-gathering profession he must adhere to a code of behavior when he makes public statements. That code helps prop up what credibilty the American press retains. Were Rooney an employee of the Christian Broadcasting Network, or some other network that does not pretend to objectivity and fairness, there would be no problem, but as it is CBS is perfectly within it's rights to respond as it did, indeed, it was obligated to do so. Finally, Eric, has it occured to you that one of the important reasons that gay people (and blacks, and asians, and hispanics, blah, bla-blah) still have such difficulty exercising basic rights is precicely because of media attitudes such as Roony's? Lets not kid ourselves, the most common source of news for americans is the TV, and that media has an important role in resisting irrational bigotry, which presumably, this society does not support. It seems to me that the important thing to take away from this situation is that while bigotry rarely confines itself to a single ethinic/racial group, the media gods only notice bigotry with respect to particular groups. Gay men and lesbians are still outside the pale. Some news. Cororan@Portland / Corcoran@Maine are: John Corcoran ============ Phil Dept./Core == == "And now, what will become of us U. So. Maine === === without any barbarians? Those people Portland, ME ==== ==== were a kind of solution." 04103 ===== ===== --C.P. Cavafy 207-780-4226 ============