The decision handed down today by the NJ Supreme Court is fairly clear: gay couples must be given all of the benefits of marriage, but the state is not required to allow gay marriage. AP gets it. Fox News gets it, A Google News search will show dozens of headlines saying that the court has stopped short of requiring marriage rights. So what is UP with CNN.com?
Go over to the main page right now. The main picture is of two gay men kissing in what looks like a government office. Only a few seconds ago it was of the same men applying for a marriage license with their hands raised to swear a solemn oath. The headline is:
"Same-sex marriage wins state battle"
And the following text is:
New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples. Lawyers argued that the state constitution's guarantee of liberty and equality allows same-sex couples to marry. "Committed same-sex couples must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples," the decision said.
My take on all of this was, gay couples are now getting married in New Jersey! CNN clearly thought the facts were too nuanced and decided to imply something more sensational. The only other news site I could find with this spin was WorldNetDaily.com - and even they quickly ammended the headline to read, "Court stops short of gay marriage"
Whats more, if you click on the infographic below, marriage rights are coded from neutral gray, for no rights, to orange for civil unions, to a dangerous shade of red for Massachusetts. The map of restrictions that are placed on marriage uses greens and browns.
Am I being paranoid here or is CNN trying to drum up some more gay hysteria just before the elections?