Biased Media: HBO Didn't Air Bishop Robinson's Invocation (But We've Got It)

Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 9:27 AM on January 19, 2009.

Last week, progressives cheered the news that the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church in New Hampshire and the first openly gay priest ordained by a major Christian denomination, would be delivering the invocation at President-elect Obama’s opening ceremony.

Yesterday, however, viewers watching HBO — which had exclusive coverage of the opening ceremony — didn’t get to see Robinson’s invocation; the network never aired it. Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend wrote:

Remember, this was the supposed salve on the wound to the LGBT community for the upcoming high-profile appearance of Rick Warren at the actual inauguration on Tuesday, which will be seen by millions and will float out there on YouTube in perpetuity. I had no illusions that Robinson’s appearance would reach the same level of exposure as Warren’s, but damn — no broadcast of it at all?

The site AfterElton.com contacted HBO yesterday, regarding the omission of Robinson from the network’s broadcast. HBO responded (via e-mail): “The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show.” Michael Jensen of AfterElton wrote that it was unclear “as to whether or not that meant that HBO was contractually prevented from airing the pre-show.”

Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today managed to shoot video of Robinson’s invocation. Watch it:

Robinson’s address yesterday was also marked by protesters from a group called “Brother Ruben and the Official Street Preachers” who shouted phrases such as, “Jesus doesn’t love homosexuals.”

Pam’s House Blend has a round-up of reaction from LGBT bloggers here.

Tagged as: obama, hbo, lgbt rights, corporate media suck, inauguration

Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.