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ADVOCATE.COM
Maddow: I'm Not on a
Gay Crusade
Rachel Maddow
distances herself from the "activism"
that she says passes
for journalism at rival Fox News,
and a spokesperson
for the conservative network
swipes back at her.
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Maddow
Meet The Press
(Screen grab) | Advocate.com) |
By Julie Bolcer, from
the Web, February 15, 2010
Rachel Maddow tells the Washington
Post that being a lesbian is not what drives her high-profile coverage of issues
like the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Media columnist Howard Kurtz profiles the MSNBC host with great attention to how
her sexual orientation impacts her treatment of guests like Lt. Dan Choi, who
came out on The Rachel Maddow Show last March.
“As one of the few openly gay television anchors, Maddow has kept the spotlight
trained on the contentious issue of whether service members known to be
homosexual should face discharge proceedings, as Choi did after that interview,”
writes Kurtz. “But she doesn't view herself as mounting a crusade.”
"We don't really treat gay issues differently than other issues," Maddow tells
Kurtz. "The controversy, she says, is just ‘a great story.'"
Not that Maddow wants to hide her identity, either.
"I can't do the show as a non-gay person,” she tells Kurtz. “I don't have
that option."
The interview also includes discussion of whether Maddow sees her work as
activism, which she denies, drawing a contrast between herself and competitor
Fox News.
Asked for response, a Fox spokesperson told Kurtz, "These feelings that she
experienced about Fox News didn't stop her from applying for a job here.”
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