wfn.org | UMNS# 04572-Faith-based communicators react to nixing of church

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Faith-based communicators react to nixing of church ad 

Dec. 6, 2004	 News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470* 
Nashville {04572}

NOTE: Additional materials are available online at http://umns.umc.org.

NEW YORK (UMNS) - A nationwide group of faith-based communicators has added
their voice to challenge the refusal of the CBS and NBC television networks
to air a message from the United Church of Christ.

The statement, drafted by Communication Commission of the National Council of
Churches USA, calls the networks actions "arbitrary" and contrary to the
principals of freedom of speech and equal access to media.

The two networks have refused to run the commercial because the all-inclusive
message "implies acceptance of gay and lesbian couples," according to the
United Church of Christ.

The ad states that - "like Jesus" - the United Church of Christ seeks to
welcome all people, regardless of ability, age, race, economic circumstance
or sexual orientation. The ad has been accepted and will air on a number of
networks including ABC Family, AMC, BET, CNN, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark,
History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel and TV Land.

The United Church of Christ made public a statement it said it received from
CBS. "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and
other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact
that the executive branch has recently proposed a constitutional amendment to
define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is
unacceptable for broadcast on the (CBS and UPN) networks."
 
News reports quoted an NBC statement that the ad "violated our longstanding
policy against accepting ads dealing with issues of public controversy." ABC
said it would air the advertisement on its ABC Family cable channel but not
on its broadcast network.

"This is not about gays and lesbians; this is about the constitutional rights
of a responsible organization to exercise the freedom to speak on a medium
licensed to serve the public interest," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top
executive with United Methodist Communications, the denomination's
communication agency. 

"This decision calls attention to the reality that, for self-serving reasons,
corporations in control of major media are in a position to filter and even
block the legitimate speech by responsible voices," Hollon said.

The National Council of Churches, founded in 1950, is the leading force for
ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 36
Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American and Living Peace
member denominations include 45 million people in more than 100,000 local
congregations in communities across the nation. The statement from the
Communication Commission of the National Council of Churches USA follows:

"The controversial issue here is not the content of the ad, but the arbitrary
standards of the network gatekeepers. Church doors are open to all who would
come; but broadcast channels are increasingly closed to all but the wealthy
and well-connected. 

"It is important to note that the broadcast networks are not being asked to
give free time to the United Church of Christ to express its message -- the
church is ready to pay dearly for that privilege, even though the networks do
not pay for their highly profitable use of the broadcast spectrum.  

"The Federal Communications Commission, in giving free access to the public's
airwaves to commercial corporations--with virtually no strings attached--has
handed them powerful control over America's media "public square."  The
for-profit keepers of that square are all too willing to promulgate messages
laced with sexual innuendo, greed, violence, and the politics of personal
destruction, but a message of openness and welcome that merely says 'church
doors are open to all' is being silenced as too controversial!	  

"Advocacy advertising abounds on TV: agribusinesses, drug manufacturers,
gambling casinos, oil companies, even some government agencies regularly
expose viewers to messages advocating their products and programs, in the
interest of shaping public attitudes and building support for their points of
view. 

"Are only the ideas and attitudes of faith groups now off limits? 
Constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and freedom of speech, not to
mention common fairness, beg for leadership by the FCC to assure that
America's faith community has full and equal access to the nation's airwaves,
to deliver positive messages that seek to build and enrich the quality of
life."

Initial signers include the following:

Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., president, National Council of Churches USA (Shreveport,
La.)
Wesley M. Pattillo, associate general secretary for communication, National
Council of Churches USA (New York, N.Y.)
Fr. Bernard R. (Bob) Bonnot, Roman Catholic author, producer (Los Angeles,
Calif.)
Sr. Maureen Fiedler, SL, Ph.D., Host, Interfaith Voices (Washington, D.C.)
Jo Bales Gallagher, National Training Center for Resource Center Directors
(Richmond, Va.)
Daniel Gangler, director of communications, Indiana Conference of the United
Methodist Church (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Mike Hickox, director of communications, New England Conference of United
Methodist Church (Lawrence, Mass.)
Larry Hollon, general secretary, United Methodist Communications (Nashville,
Tenn.)
Vince Isner, director, FaithfulAmerica.org (Washington, D.C.)
N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., executive director, Queens Federation of Churches
(Richmond Hill, N.Y.)
Kermit Netteburg, Seventh-day Adventist Church (Silver Spring, Md.)
John L. Peterson, communication director, The Interfaith Alliance (Washington
D.C.)
David W. Reid, publisher, Vital Theology (Fort Collins, Colo.)
Eric C. Shafer, director for communication, Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (Chicago, Ill.)
Louis C. (Skip) Schueddig, president, The Episcopal Media Center (Atlanta,
Ga.)
Nikki Stephanopoulos, director, News and Information, Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America	(New York, N.Y.)
Shirley W. Struchen, executive director, Religion Communicators Council  (New
York, N.Y.)
Jerry L. Van Marter, news director, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Louisville,
Ky.)
William C. Winslow, retired communications officer, United Church of Christ  
(New York, N.Y.)

Additional signers will be listed on the Commission's website,
www.ncccusa.org/about/comcomadvocacy.html

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News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service