Challenging the institutionalized homophobia at WOODTV8 is still necessary after 35 years of Pride Celebrations in Grand Rapids

Last week, a worker at WOODTV8, posted a comment on social media stating that management at channel 8 had sent out a memo, which said that they were going to scale back on Pride coverage and that if they are covering Pride events to “consider how to make the story balanced and get both sides of the issues,” according to a story on MLive.

The MLive article also cited a WOODTV8 News anchor Michele DeSelms, who wrote on Twitter that by mandating staff cover the “other side” of Pride events, they would be required to give “equal time to hate and discrimination.” DeSelms also stated: 

“Our newsroom immediately stood up to the 2 managers who wrote a memo mandating that we cover ‘the other side’ of Pride events: essentially requiring us to give equal time to hate and discrimination. We said no, and will continue to fight for our LGBTQ colleagues, family members, friends and the community. This fight is not over.”

These comments, and others, from channel 8 staff are encouraging. In addition, A spokesperson for Nexstar Media Group, the corporate parent of WOOD TV, issued an apology Thursday, June 15, and said the memo isn’t consistent with the company’s values.

“We’re looking into the situation at WOOD-TV, as the communication regarding the station’s coverage of Pride month activities in the area is not consistent with Nexstar’s values, the way we cover the news, or the respect we have for our viewers,” said Nexstar spokesperson Gary Weitman. 

Personally, I’m not convinced by the Nexstar “apology”, considering that broadcast media conglomerates are primarily driven by ratings, not by content or journalistic integrity. As someone who has monitored the local commercial media market in West Michigan over the past three decades, I can tell you that providing space for anti-LGBTQ voices and perspectives happens all the time, whether those voices are coming from the political right or the religious right. In fact, so much of the parent push-back on book bans and school curriculum is driven by organized homophobia and transphobia. And the parent groups, politicians and religious leaders who take an anti-LGBTQ point of view are regular sources in local news media reporting, including WOODTV8.

A second point about this controversy over reporting on LGBTQ issues, like Pride, is that to the degree that there has been improvement from local newsroom is a direct result of the decades-long organizing that the LGBTQ movement has done to challenge institutions like the news media. We need to always remember this point, whether we are talking about racial justice or LGBTQ justice, the work of movements is at the root of why things have changed or improved.

WOODTV8 giving space to the Religious Right and the LGBTQ movement holding them accountable

In 2009, the Indymedia group I was involved in, Media Mouse, posted this story on how WOODTV8 was planning on providing an anti-LGBTQ group a slot to post their hate message. Here is that story:

According to reports in the Grand Rapids Press and online, WOOD-TV is considering airing a paid program produced by the American Family Association that purports to expose “the radical homosexual agenda” and “its impact on the family, the nation, and religious freedom.”

The special–titled “Speechless”–was originally supposed to air on WOOD TV an hour before President Barack Obama’s news conference Monday. However, the program was pulled because the station believed that it was not the appropriate lead-in to the news conference. WOOD TV 8’s General Manager released a statement saying:

“The scheduling of the show slipped through our filters…

We don’t pre-judge people’s ideas or opinions…

However, we have restrictions on controversial programming and key time periods. We are willing to sell a paid program time period during traditional paid program times. We have offered them Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 from 2-3 p.m. We have not heard if they have accepted that time period. If the show airs, we will have disclaimers at the beginning and end of the show stating that these are not the opinions or views of this station.” 

WOOD TV is clearly intending to run the program–lets not forget that it will make them money–thereby ignoring the anti-gay nature of the program. Critics have pointed to the American Family Association’s history of anti-gay activism as well as inaccurate claims made in the film as reasons for the station not to air it.

Colette Beighley of Grand Valley State University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center called the program “irresponsible programming” in The Grand Rapids Press stating:

“If an organization came into Grand Rapids and wanted to air biased programming slamming the Asian community, West Michigan would send a message that that puts Asians brothers and sisters at risk.” Beighley also said. “Grand Rapids wants to be a cool city and one of the cornerstones of a cool city is diversity.”

There was also a Facebook group that got lots of people to contact WOODTV8 and demand that they not give the American Family Association airtime to promote their anti-LGBTQ ideology. The campaign was effective and channel 8 pulled the plug, thus denying the American Family Association an opportunity to broadcast their hate-filled message in West Michigan.