By Allie Martin and Jody Brown
June 21, 2001

(AgapePress) - The American Family Association is blasting the Public Broadcasting Service for airing what it says was a biased documentary against the Boy Scouts of America and its policy banning homosexual leaders.

Tuesday night, the PBS-affiliated Point of View ran a documentary titled Scout's Honor. Point of View provides PBS with what it calls a "showcase of independent, non-fiction films." Tuesday's documentary focused on four critics of the Scouts' policy banning homosexual troop leaders -- a policy that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Several pro-family advocates had called for their supporters to contact their local PBS stations to protest the broadcast, saying it did not fairly present all sides of the issue -- and that it was improper for taxpayers' money to be used to finance and air such a program.

Ed Vitagliano, news editor of AFA Journal, says taxpayers should be outraged that they helped pay for a one-sided look at a volatile issue.

"Twenty-five times I counted within this one-hour time words like 'injustice,' 'discrimination,' 'prejudice,' 'bigotry' -- all these kinds of concepts were mentioned over and over and over again," Vitagliano says. "This was a one-sided piece of propaganda and American taxpayers ought to be outraged that their money is being sent from Washington, D.C., to PBS to allow this kind of propaganda to be put out on our public airwaves."

According to CNSNews, another pro-family advocate was urging Americans to contact their senators and congressmen to voice their objections to "anti-Boy Scout propaganda produced with public funds." Peter LaBarbera of the Culture and Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America, told CNSNews that "[i]t's bad enough that pro-homosexual liberals are bashing the Boy Scouts -- but by offering this film, PBS is involving the taxpayers in the assault on the Scouts."

In an e-mail alert to supporters of the American Family Association, AFA president and founder Dr. Don Wildmon called the broadcast "a shameless attack on the character and integrity of the Boy Scouts." Wildmon, himself an Eagle Scout, believes the program will further strengthen the resolve of parents nationwide to support the Scouts' policy banning homosexual men as leaders.

According to Randy Sharp, director of special projects for AFA, Scout's Honor failed in its attempt to portray homosexuals as victims. "The true victims are millions of Boy Scouts," Sharp says. "The BSA continues to be the target of a radical group of whiners who refuse to accept a Supreme Court ruling against them." Sharp also stated the film was not able to demonstrate that an "anti-Scout" viewpoint exists in mainstream America because "it just isn't there."

A spokesman for PBS denies the film is being used for political purposes, citing what he calls POV's "long track record of editorial excellence and integrity." Tom Epstein, PBS vice president of communications, says Scout's Honor is consistent with PBS' mission of presenting a variety of independent programs that address current issues and allow viewers to make up their own mind.

According to CNSNews, the film has already been honored in many liberal venues, and won the Playboy Freedom of Expression Award last year. It also has been featured -- and praised -- at many homosexuality-oriented film festivals, where audiences are predominantly homosexual.

According to USA Today, PBS officials said they received a few hundred phone calls protesting the documentary and 75 e-mails supporting the project.

© 2001 AgapePress all rights reserved.

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