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Church Upset At TV Station For Exposing Nasty Priest
Posted by Pile
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[News Media] |
Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania is currently launching an appeal to have television station KDKA's license revoked because they had the audacity to promote a story regarding a local priest involved in a gay relationship caught in an adult book store.
The priest later committed suicide and wrote a letter taking responsibility for his immoral behavior. The religious organization apparently is upset because they could have saved this guy's life if they could have covered up this scandal before it went public? What?
So does this mean some group is going to blame E! television for Anna Nicole's suicide? |
A group representing the major Christian denominations in southwestern Pennsylvania has filed a public complaint against KDKA television and radio for news promotions that led to the suicide of the targeted pastor, and has arranged a meeting with station executives.
The Rev. Brent Dugan, pastor of the Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon, committed suicide in November when the station aired promos showing his face and promising to reveal illicit behavior.
Advised that the pastor was missing and suicidal, KDKA-TV never aired the story that had been prepared by reporter Marty Griffin. But that word apparently never reached Mr. Dugan, who killed himself in a motel room.
In a last letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery, he apologized for bringing shame on the church and confessed to a sexual relationship with a man who he said had betrayed him and set up his visit to an adult bookstore where the KDKA news crew filmed him.
At a presbytery meeting yesterday the Rev. James Mead, pastor to the presbytery, said KDKA executives had agreed to a meeting Feb. 20.
Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania sent the letter to the file that the Federal Communications Commission must review when the station's license is up for renewal. It asks KDKA to apologize to the Ben Avon church and to the presbytery "for the misleading promos and unfortunate lapse in journalistic reporting that led to the Rev. Brent Dugan's unfortunate death."
It says the promos "sentenced" the Rev. Dugan before the presbytery had time to look into the situation, which could have produced a church process that "provided for repentance, rehabilitation and forgiveness." It says that the promos violated the Code of Broadcast News Ethics, and the letter deplores "the exploitation of religious leaders and issues for increased ratings at the expense of journalistic integrity and the truth." |
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