Saturday, January 30, 2010

Why Is CBS in Bed With the Religious Right?

As I expected would be the case, CBS has rejected the broadcast of a gay theme ad during the Super Bowl next weekend - even as it continues to plan on broadcasting an ad by Focus on the Family which furthers what appears to be an ad that disseminates an outright lie. Gee, imagine that! Christianists at FOTF lying. The better question is when does FOTF not lie. But then, from my experience the far right Christianists are among the biggest liars one is likely to ever encounter. If it is viewed as furthering their theocratic agenda, then any lie is allowed. First, some highlights from Entertainment Weekly that looks at CBS''s lame excuse for its bigotry toward a gay themed ad:
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CBS has decided it will not air an advertisement from gay dating website ManCrunch.com during Feb. 7’s Super Bowl XLIV, EW has confirmed. The ad depicts two football-watching men sharing a passionate kiss after their hands touch while reaching into a bowl of potato chips. “After reviewing the ad — which is entirely commercial in nature — our Standards and Practices department decided not to accept this particular spot,” a network rep said in a statement. “As always, we are open to working with the client on alternative submissions.” A rep for ManCrunch.com also confirmed the rejection and called the refusal to air the spot hypocritical. “We are totally of the opinion the ad was rejected due to the homosexual content,” spokeswoman Elissa Buchter said. She added, “The creative is PG-rated and doesn’t feature any tongue or overt sexuality.”
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CBS and its Super Bowl commercials made headlines earlier this week when women’s advocacy groups issued statements protesting the network’s decision to air a spot sponsored by Christian organization Focus on the Family, which features Florida Gators football star Tim Tebow, his mother, and what some are arguing is an overt pro-life message.

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As for the apparently false claims made in the FOTF ad, it seems that while the mother of Tim Tebow claims to have rejected advice to have an abortion when in reality she was in a country where abortions were 100% illegal at the time. Thus, it seems unlikely that anyone ever made the claimed recommendation. As Radaronline reports, attorney Gloria Allred is threatening to file FCC and FTC complaints against CBS for its disingenuous furtherance of what appears to be an outright lie. Here are some highlights (Allred's letter can be found here):
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Famed womens' rights campaigner and powerhouse attorney Gloria Allred has joined the ever growing hoard of people angered at the CBS network's decision to allow an pro life ad to air during the upcoming Super Bowl on February 7th. In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com Allred shares that she is outraged by CBS and fears that the motivation for money has far outweighed any commitment to truth and any duty to upholding advertising standards.

The ad, featuring college football player and devout Christian, Tim Tebow, and his mother Pam, is funded by Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization that places emphasis on marriage and parenthood.
In the controversial ad, Pam reportedly shares the story of her difficult 1987 pregnancy which occurred when she was working as a missionary in the Philippines. In her harrowing tale she says she fell ill with amoebic dysentery while pregnant and was treated with robust antibiotics, which she says doctors told her had caused fetal damage, prompting them to urge her to terminate her pregnancy, but she refused their advice that she have an abortion for her own safety. Going on to give birth to Tebow, the now-famous quarterback who went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner, leading the Gators to two BCS wins.

In her exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com Allred slams the ad and CBS's decision to air it, pointing out factual inconsistencies with Pam's story. One glaring one is the fact that the act of abortion is totally illegal in the majority Catholic country of the Philippines - under all circumstances including rape and incest, and even without a provision in the circumstance that the mother's life is in danger. The law has been in effect since 1930.
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Allred says she believes it an impossible scenario to believe that Philippino doctors would of ever suggested abortion as a viable option for Tebow in the first place. And when you learn that physicians and midwives who perform abortions in the Philippines face six years in prison, and may have their licenses suspended or revoked, and that women who receive abortions - no matter the reason - may be punished with imprisonment for two to six years, it's easy to see why.
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It's a shocking turn around on policy for the network, who in 2004, were criticized by many liberal organizations for rejecting an ad by the United Church of Christ highlighting the UCC's welcoming stance toward gays and others who might feel shunned by more conservative churches. CBS cited at the time their strict "no advocacy in advertising" policy. Something that has obviously changed for some unapparent reason.
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The United Church of Christ ad which was rejected by CBS can be viewed below.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why Is CBS in Bed With the Religious Right?

I think $2.5 million for a 30 sec ad is an extraordinarily good price to get paid in the middle of a recession.

libhom said...

CBS' pandering to the militant, anti American fundamentalist is going to cost them a lot of viewers in the long run.