A Hustler magazine parody of Jerry Falwell as an incestuous drunk is not libelous, according to a recent unanimous Supreme Court ruling. The decision overturns a 1984 lower-court ruling that awarded Falwell $200,000 for emotional distress as a result of the parody.
Writing for the Court, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist said, “In the world of debate about public affairs, many things done with motives that are less than admirable are protected by the First Amendment.” In a statement on the ruling, Falwell disagreed with the Court’s application of the First Amendment, saying, “No sleaze merchant like Larry Flynt [Hustler publisher] should be able to use the First Amendment as an excuse for maliciously and dishonestly attacking public figures as he has so often done.”
SEXUAL POLITICS
Infidelity In High Places
In an otherwise-documented account of religious journalism, author Roy Howard Beck devotes part of his soon-to-be-published book, On Thin Ice: A Religion Reporter’s Memoir, to the kinds of rumors that make church leaders wince.
Beck’s book looks into the personalities and processes at the United Methodist Reporter and National Christian Reporter, as well as the nature of independent religious journalism. But his chapter entitled “Fidelity” relies mostly on unnamed sources and rumor to paint a picture of sexual misconduct—heterosexual and homosexual—among church officials at the Interchurch Center in New York, home of several agencies of mainline denominations.
Responding to charges that he ignored sound journalistic principles in favor of titillating rumor, Beck says he could not quote sources because they would not go public with their charges. “My purpose was not to single out anyone for discipline, but to raise the concern that mainline Protestant churches have the same problems we have seen lately among Pentecostals,” says Beck. He claims to have heard rumors about sexual indiscretions in high church offices for years, adding, “I thought including the chapter was a risk worth taking.”
Advance copies of the book, which will be published by Bristol Books, have already provoked widespread criticism.
GAY RIGHTS
Court Tells Church What To Do
According to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, a Roman Catholic university must provide support services to a student gay-rights group even though the group’s purpose conflicts with Catholic teaching.
The decision came about after Georgetown University refused officially to recognize and subsidize the Gay Rights Coalition. The university allowed the group to function without recognition or subsidies, however, which is how most of Georgetown’s student groups operate.
The Gay Rights Coalition sued the university, but lost when a trial court ruled that requiring the Roman Catholic school to support the group would violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion. But the D.C. Court of Appeals reversed the decision, holding that the school’s denial of support was based on discriminatory preconceptions about gays. The court admitted such mandated support would interfere with the university’s religious practices, but held that those concerns were outweighed by the government’s interest in eliminating discrimination against homosexuals.
ABORTION
Moving Toward Prolife?
According to a special report issued by the Religious News Service, the 1.6 million-member American Baptist Churches is retreating from its long-time advocacy of abortion rights. This is believed to be a first among mainline Protestant denominations.
Although the denomination’s new position represents a break from its prochoice stance, it does not embrace right-to-life forces. Rather, church leaders describe it as a “middle position” between the two views of abortion. Responding to strong grassroots pressure, a special task force of the denomination prepared the new position, which will be voted on by the church’s policy-making general board in June. Mary Mild, a spokesperson for the task force, said the denomination’s prochoice stance “just didn’t reflect the feelings in the congregations.” Easy approval of the new position is predicted.
RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING
CBN Films A Network Special
A one-hour after-school program produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) for a major television network finished among the top-ten-rated shows during the week it was aired earlier this year. The popularity of the show, “Never Say Goodbye,” helped CBS place first among the top three networks in the daytime ratings race for the week of January 17.
The film was cast and produced in Virginia Beach, Virginia, by CBN Cable Productions, a production unit of CBN. It starred Tony Award winning actress June Lockhart, Kim Hauser (“Spenser for Hire” and “The Cosby Show”), and Elinor Donahue, best known for her roles in the long-running “Father Knows Best” series.
CBN’S film department has also produced an after-school special for ABC—“Terrible Things My Mother Told Me.” According to Harry Young, director of program development for CBN, its Virginia Beach location and high quality production facilities are attracting industry film professionals. “CBN is really excited about this new thrust in film production and expects greater things in the future.”
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