***Welcome PJ Media Readers***
Yesterday I was taking notes at the press conference for the Liberty Sunday Simulcast. As fortune would have it, I sat behind a reporter and a photographer for The Boston Herald. She was leafing through the biographies of all the speakers, I noticed that she stopped on the biography for Exodus President Alan Chambers. She leaned over to the photographer, pointed to his biography, said with a slight grin, "ex-gays..." and they both had a slight chuckle that made it appear they thought Exodus was a joke.
After the press conference, David Fountain ( Exodus Conference Director ), not having known what I had witnessed went up and offered the reporter our information piece and she quickly said "no thank you."
Given the chuckling I witnessed earlier ... one might think that she doesn't have much respect for our beliefs and the truth behind our testimony.
If I am going to be held accountable to practice what I preach, which I do not mind, I would hope reporters would be held accountable for their actions as well. The Society of Professional Journalists* say, "Seek Truth and Report It." Here is the preamble to their Code of Ethics:
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.
Whether the above mentioned reporter believed we were truly "ex-gay" or worthy of being laughed at really isn't the point. The Exodus message was a major element of the press conference yesterday and this reporter laughed at our presence and refused our information. This dismissal of our message was not fair, comprehensive or truthful to the entirety of the event.
People like Alan, including myself, are not gay whether the Boston Herald tolerates that fact or not. Diversity and tolerance includes people like us. If that fact is denied, then true diversity and/or tolerance is not displayed. We have a place in the public square whether media outlets choose to pay attention and be coscientious to report the whole story or not.
I have invited this reporter to read this post and will let you know if I get any feedback. It is my genuine hope that my observations of her actions are wrong.
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* I don't know if this reporter belongs to, or ascribes to the same beliefs as the SPJ or not.