Friday, July 15, 2011

New Disclosures in Brian Ross Hatchet Job on Bachmann

New Disclosures in Brian Ross Hatchet Job on Bachmann

By: Cliff Kincaid


ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross conveniently failed to mention in his Monday night hit piece on Michele Bachmann that his leading authority for the view that homosexual orientation cannot be changed is an ardent advocate for acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle.

The omission takes on added significance in view of a 2007 report on the website of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) that Ross hosted a fundraising benefit for NLGJA and a tour of ABC’s studios. “The event will be hosted by ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross,” a report on a gay website said.

The NLGJA “stylebook,” which lays down the law to news organizations on how they should report matters involving homosexuality, puts the term “ex-gay” in quotes, suggesting that former homosexuals do not really exist or that the therapy that helps them leave their lifestyle is not legitimate.

This was the line taken by Ross in a report whose apparent aim was to derail the candidacy of Bachmann, who is leading in the polls in Iowa, where the first GOP presidential caucus takes place. Using material from the homosexual lobby and the far-left Nation magazine, Ross attacked the Bachmann family counseling business, which helps various people, including homosexuals, with their psychological problems.

Clinton Anderson, PhD., who was featured in the Brian Ross story, directs the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, and is a founding coordinator of the International Network for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology (INET).

One of the purposes of INET is to “promote mental health practice that is affirmative of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.” Putting himself clearly on the side of the gay rights lobby, Anderson has said that INET “is trying to affect public education and policy by providing technical assistance to national psychological associations” and by opposing “anti-homosexuality legislation.”

As an example, Anderson was involved in a 2004 APA report on how to lift the military ban on open homosexuals in the military.

Anderson was featured in the Brian Ross story as an authority as to why the Bachmann approach of handling homosexuals who want to change through counseling and religious transformation was wrong. The Ross story included amateur undercover video produced by a homosexual organization called Truth Wins Out (TWO). That the counseling business would try to help homosexuals by changing their lifestyle was presented as if it were shocking and scandalous. This was depicted by Ross as a potential campaign issue against Bachmann.

Anderson told Ross that he found “no evidence that efforts to convert someone from gay to straight could succeed,” even though thousands of ex-gays and former homosexuals exist here and abroad.

While the Brian Ross report mentioned the existence of ex-homosexuals, even noting a book and a video by one, Janet Boynes, none was interviewed in the one-sided and distorted ABC Nightline report.

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth commented, “Shouldn’t it have occurred to Ross to sit down with and interview a SUCCESSFUL former homosexual like Janet Boynes, who:

    • lives near Minneapolis, where the Bachmanns’ counseling clinic is located;
    • was mentioned in the story—the undercover TWO ‘investigative reporter’ ominously cites a copy of Janet’s book, ‘Called Out,’ endorsed by Dr. [Marcus] Bachmann;
    • is a happy FORMER lesbian who endeavors to help others out of homosexuality, and who credits God for the power to change?

We confirmed that no ABC reporter contacted Boynes for their story on the Bachmann clinic.”

In a commentary on the flaws and problems in the Brian Ross report, David Brody of CBN News said, “…in terms of the conservative evangelical response, ABC News and Ross’s crew could have mentioned the group Exodus International who defines its mission as, ‘Mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality.’ They could have done an on-camera interview with someone from the organization but even if they didn’t, how about a quick Google search? Has the investigative unit heard of that?”

Exodus International includes 240 local ministries in the USA and Canada.

Another resource is Greg Quinlan, a former homosexual associated with Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), an organization providing outreach, education, and public awareness in support of families and the ex-gay community. In a YouTube video, Quinlan said that thousands of people have left the homosexual lifestyle and cited several prominent examples.

The failure of Ross to interview any of the ex-gays can be explained by his subservience to the homosexual lobby, which dominates the media business.

The 2007 pro-homosexual event hosted by Brian Ross, formally known as the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association’s 12th Annual New York Benefit, included a virtual who’s who of the media business, ranging from ABC News to Fox News.

The complete list of sponsors included ABC News, Belo, CNN, JetBlue Airways, Kimpton Hotels, NBC Universal, Andrew Tobias & Charles Nolan, Bloomberg, CBS News, In Style, MGM Mirage, Passport Magazine, Rubenstein Communications, The Muse Hotel, 70 Park Avenue Hotel, Fox News Network, Newsday, Inc., Star/Rosen PR, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Hill + Knowlton, The Haworth Press, The New York Times, The Star-Ledger, The Record, Herald News and Toyota.

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