NPR review of gay-politician documentary won’t name names
At the website of National Public Radio, a review of a new documentary about closeted gay politicians was edited to remove the names of the prominent men who are outed in the movie. According to IndieWire, NPR editors cited their policy of preserving the privacy of people who are the subject of unsubstantiated charges. Critic Nathan Lee, who also reviews movies for the New York Times, subsequently asked that his byline be removed from the edited review.
In “Outrage,” director Kirby Dick, who exposed the inner workings of the MPAA board in his documentary “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” names several public figures who have actively worked against gay rights while secretly maintaining a homosexual lifestyle.
I don’t believe it would surprise anyone that disgraced Idaho Sen. Larry Craig is mentioned in the film, yet his is one of the names that the NPR editor removed from the review. Another name, that of a Republican governor from the South who recently announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate, has been the subject of rumors for years. But Dick Meyer, NPR’s executive director of digital content, told IndieWire, “NPR has a long-held policy of trying to respect the privacy of public figures and of not airing or publishing rumors, allegations and reports about their private lives unless there is a compelling reason to do so.”
Personally I’m undecided about the morality of outing public figures, but in cases where a demonstrably gay politician (or minister) has actively worked against gay rights, the balance seems to tilt in favor of disclosure.
Then again, editors can change anything they want. As journalist A.J. Liebling said, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”
In the case of these reviews, I don’t see a problem withholding the names.
In news stories and editorial that deal directly with the public figures I’m in favor of disclosure of names when there is proper evidence and attribution of facts.