One of the central political issues facing the American People over the past few years, and certain to be one in the next few, is the issue over whether or not governments are required to recognize same-sex relationships in the same manner that marriages are recognized. Ground-zero in that debate, and one of the places where that discussion has joined arm-in-arm with the debate over judicial activism, is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In November of 2003, in the case of Goodridge v. Massachusetts, the Commonwealth's Supreme Judicial Court ruled on a 4-3 vote that the state constitution required that the institution of marriage be extended to same-sex relationships. I'm not aware of any public opinion surveys which show a majority of the people of Massachusetts agreeing with or supporting that decision, but it is now the law in Massachusetts anyway.
One of the entities which has been strongly supportive of that decision, however, is the Boston Globe. The largest media entity in New England, it is referred to in some circles as the "all-gay, all-the-time Boston Globe" because it is clearly an entity with an agenda. Unfortunately for the news consumers in New England, that agenda isn't confined to the editorial pages. I've mentioned it before, a couple of times, on front-page stories that don't warrant the front-page on any news judgement other than mainstreaming same-sex marriage.
Well, they've got another story in today's Boston Globe which has no particular news value other than to promote same-sex marriage, "Same-sex couple's lawsuit a test of tolerance in Ireland."
In a country that has had its share of revolutionaries, Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan hardly look the part.They are smartly dressed, well-coiffed, middle-aged members of Ireland's burgeoning middle class. But in trying to get the government to recognize their 2003 marriage in Canada, they are challenging the very notion that Ireland has become a less socially conservative, more tolerant corner of Europe.
Given that "tolerance" is obviously, in this time and place, one of the significant virtues in the world, the story clearly has a point of view. And that point of view is that "tolerance" of same-sex marriage is a good thing and the opposite of "socially conservative." Did the Globe find room for this in the Living/Arts section? No, this story apparently warranted the front-page.
Obviously, this is pressing news. Were the women "married" in Massachusetts? Is that the local hook? No, they were "married" in Canada. Are they Massachusetts natives? Have they lived here recently? No. The local angle is that they met while going to school in Boston. 19 years ago.
As I've said before, and expect that I'll say again, there's no question that the "gay marriage" angle, whether real or not, gets it onto the front page of the Globe. The Globe is sometimes a news provider, and sometimes just a propaganda organ for the pro-"gay marriage" movement.
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