NPR: Why do news orgs repeat “Judge Walker is openly gay” with no direct evidence?
”I really don’t think it’s ever been verified as a fact that Judge Walker is gay…. He’s never spoken on the record about it. The way Karen said it was clearly that she viewed it as not a big deal.”
Michael Triplett, a blogger and lawywer and NGLJA board member, as quoted by NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard. He argues that Judge Vaughn Walker can’t be considered ”openly gay” if there’s never been any traceable statement from the judge that he is or isn’t gay. Shepard takes this criticism of a story done by NPR reporter Karen Grigsby-Bates to look into the matter. And her conclusion seems to be that all references point back to a single San Francisco Chronicle column from February 2010. That piece discusses Walker’s alleged gay sexual orientation without ever providing a direct reference for the so-called “open secret.” Walker’s response to a question about being called gay then was, “No comment.” Shepard then discusses the way NPR’s editorial policy agains rumos is being handled. Judge Walker, as many know, just recently declared that California‘s ban on gay marriage (a/k/a Proposition 8) is unconstitutional, and many of his detractors are saying he is obviously biased since the Chronicle reported that he is openly gay. (NPR)
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