NBC Rejects Christian Call to Public Apology
Focus on the Family points to ABC's '20/20' report showing the attackers of Matthew Shepard were not motivated by hate or his homosexuality but by money.
Focus on the Family has pointed to a recent news report showing that the circumstance surrounding the death of a gay man was a robbery not a “hate-crime” helped along by an “anti-homosexual atmosphere” created by conservative Christian groups as “Today" show host Katie Couric had suggested. Despite the ministry’s call for NBC to issue a public apology to Christians disparaged by Couric’s comments, NBC has refused.
In 1998, Matthew Shepard was found tied to a fencepost beaten and robbed. He died five days later due to head injuries. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson have identified as his attackers.
During an interview with then-Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer on Oct. 12, 1998, Ms. Couric asked the following question:
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"And, finally, governor, some--some gay rights activists have said that some conservative political organizations like the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are contributing to this anti-homosexual atmosphere by having an ad campaign saying, 'If you're a homosexual, you can change your orientation.'”
“That prompts people to say, 'If I meet someone who is homosexual, I'm going to take action and try to convince them or try to harm them.' Do you believe that such groups are contributing to this climate?"
"There never was any evidence to support her outrageous implications -- in fact, there now seems to be evidence contradicting them,” said Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family, referring to a report by ABC’s “20/20” during which Shepard’s attackers said they were motivated solely by money they needed to feed a drug habit.
“To suggest that the scriptural standard on homosexuality leads to murder was unconscionable then -- and it's all the more unconscionable now in light of the revelations of ABC's report,” added Hodel.
Hodel wrote a letter dated Nov. 29 to President of NBC News Neal Shapiro asking “NBC News to publicly apologize to Christians maligned by Ms. Couric's inflammatory remarks.”
"Our faith tells us that same-sex marriage and other policies that tear down the traditional definition of the family undermine the fabric of our civilization," Hodel wrote. "But just because we are opposed to efforts to normalize homosexuality does not in any way mean we are antagonistic to the people involved in homosexuality -- or that we believe or encourage others to believe that violence against homosexuals is acceptable. Our Christian beliefs mandate a different response, one centered in love for the individual, as well as in moral truth."
On Dec. 8, NBC News Executive Producer for Broadcast Standards David McCormick sent a letter to Hodel defending Couric’s comments.
He noted that in the days after the critically injured Shepard was found tied to a fencepost, "there was a great deal of speculation that the crime may have been motivated by hate."
"If you look closely at the transcript of the interview, you will note that Ms. Couric was quoting 'gay activists' who were quite vocal at the time of Mr. Shepard's death," McCormick wrote. "She was not making a statement of fact and she was certainly not insinuating that" Christians were responsible for Shepard's murder.
The next day, Hodel rejected McCormick’s defense argument in a response letter.
"As we all know, the tone and manner with which a question is posed can convey a great deal of information," Hodel wrote.
"It was clear six years ago, and remains clear today, that Ms. Couric's tone and manner were not that of an impartial journalist seeking the truth about a tragedy. It was the tone and manner of an advocate intent on repeating an unfounded accusation disguised as a question.
"She named three Christian organizations (one of them Focus on the Family) and asserted the gay rights activists' charges of 'contributing to this anti-homosexual atmosphere' by having an ad campaign that suggested that gay people might like to change their orientation. It was definitely a 'have you stopped beating your wife?' type of question."
