The “Stephen Glasses” of Gay Parent Stories

Two Long Island DJ’s did one of the most unethical things in broadcasting: They made up a story and did not tell anyone that it was fake.

Steve Harper and Leanna Karlson decided to make up a story about a mom who hates gays so much that she would not let her son attend a little girl’s birthday party because she had two fathers. With all of the gay rights issues surrounding Sochi and new laws continuing to make news in the U.S., this story seemed more than believable.

But what really grinds my gears is the fact that they went against their bosses, (and clearly their better judgement), did not notify anyone, and honestly thought that this was a good idea. Just because there is racial tension in America does not mean I am going to make up a crime about a young boy getting killed because of the way he looks.

Do they not know that statistics show that people are more likely to listen in and voice their opinion if the conversation topic is one they are strongly against? Obviously this “mom” figure was a representation of the lack of progression in this country, and the comments on the radio station’s original article prove that people were anything but happy with her anti-gay decision.

Shame on them, but I have to feel bad for both hosts at the same time. How sad it is that they felt the need to not only make up a story, but come up with the excuse saying they wanted to start a “healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic” because there is obviously nothing else going on in the world to talk about? Seriously? Is honest journalism so lost that we have to channel Stephen Glass and make up stories to strengthen our audience, our revenue, our anything?

People need to recognize that the best news is the one that we can all relate to,  that is honest, accurate, and definitely not made up by two helpless radio hosts.

Update: While the hosts will not be fired, the radio station relationship and Long Island’s LBGTA Organization are meeting to discuss what actions should be taken regarding Harper and Karlson in the future.