Letters to the Editor	Letters Archive

Our Best Weapon: the Truth

In your January, 2005 editorial GLAAD's Vision: Less Than 20/20 you challenge the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's visceral, unconsidered, and aggressive reaction to ABC's "20/20" program on the Matthew Shepard murder case. You recognize that this case-- as is true of most events in life-- is complex, that it has layers and layers of complexity.

The Matthew Shepard case, as it appeared on the surface, presented the gay community with the poster boy and the perfect example of hate with which to create a true cause celebre. The opportunity was too perfect to pass up and, as it has turned out, too perfect to investigate in depth or to await the results of such an investigation. The result has been that a virtually irreversible commitment has been made to what has proven to be a myth. This is too bad. But it does not undermine the validity of the struggle for full equality and equal treatment for gays and should not be dealt with as an attack on the essence of that struggle. As Andrew Sullivan so eloquently stated in ABC's "20/20" program (I paraphrase): honest and thorough investigation is the responsibility of true journalism and in no way denigrates either Matthew Shepard or the cause of justice; on the contrary, it supports it.

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Several weeks ago, the independent radio program, CounterSpin, a presentation of Fair In the Media, ran a segment presenting itself as a discussion of the 20/20 program. The entire presentation was a precise, almost verbatim, echo of GLAAD's diatribes and accusations, most of which was, quite simply, inaccurate and just plain wrong. No valid purpose is served in this way. We do not need to use lies to support a real, important, and humane cause.

I find it sad in the extreme when individuals and organizations whose causes I champion use the same tactics-- emotion and accusation, denial and diatribe and, yes, lies-- as are used constantly by those whose ends I find detestable. It is, to me, especially heinous in the case of CounterSpin whose sole, self-professed reason for existing is to pursue truth in the media and to call to account all kinds of disingenuousness; "truth in reporting" is its stated mission. It surely failed its mission in this instance. And, as of this moment, it has responded only with its own dismissive denial, an inability or refusal to do what you so aptly advise GLAAD to do, "get its own house in order."

Your editorial was such a breath of fresh air. If we demand honesty and truth from others-- from our adversaries-- we absolutely must demand it of ourselves. We do not need to use a false god in order to pursue an true goal.

Richard Block
Vice President of the Board and Programming Committee of KSFR, Santa Fe Public Radio
Santa Fe, New Mexico