The best journalists strive to present facts without bias or editorial comment. Then there's the Washington PostTwitter page.
In reporting on Exodus International's decision to shut down, whoever tweets for the Post chose op-ed cutesy over straight-news accuracy.
The Post's tweet, sent to 1.7 million of the newspaper's followers:
Gaying the pray away
Huh?
What does that even mean?
Did the Post's social-media gurus fear that a less-biased tweet wouldn't draw as many clicks? This was the headline on the actual story to which the tweet linked:
Exodus International, criticized for 'reparative therapies' for gay Christians, to shut down
Now, that headline's not perfect. I'd prefer one without scare quotes that describes what Exodus did in a less tilted manner. But it's better than the tweet.
As we discussed in our previous post on Exodus last week, the media's frequently referenced "pray the gay away" quote lacks a named source.
As our esteemed head GetReligionista — tmatt — has noted, "In all of my years covering ex-gays, I’ve never met anyone who actually claimed they could pray the gay away.”
Like the Associated Press and Religion News Service stories covered in the previous post, the Post article notes Exodus head Alan Chambers' comments on theology and changing position on how to relate to the gay community:
In an apology to the gay community, Chambers noted that he “cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex” and marriage but added that he will no longer “fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek.”
Chambers, who says he and his wife Leslie “are more in love than we’ve ever have been” but admits to still being attracted to men, said in a nearly hour-long talk Wednesday at the organization’s 38th annual conference that he and Exodus leaders came to the conclusion that God was calling them to shut down the ministry.
The New York Times, too, notes that Chambers still believes that Scripture does not condone homosexuality.
Has anybody seen any coverage where Chambers — or any other advocates of the ex-gay movement — actually said that they can "pray the gay away?"