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During a live interview yesterday afternoon on NewsChannel 8's Let's Talk Live, co-host Doug McKelway lost all sense of professionalism while interviewing gay blogger Michael Rogers about the upcoming documentary film, Outrage. Rogers appears in the film, directed by Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated), which targets politicians who are known (or rumored) closet cases but who also fight against policies that would be beneficial to the LGBT population.
The exchange between the two heated up after McKelway made no bones about being against the process of outing these politicians. When Rogers offered up Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as an example, McKelway asks about the potential impact on Crist's family. But before Rogers could get a word in edgewise, McKelway further expressed his own outrage at the notion, eventually threatening Rogers, saying he'd "take him out back and punch him across the face."
But why spoil the rest in words when you can watch for yourself? The initial buildup is OK, but the real fun begins around the 2:45 mark.
Outrage opens tomorrow at the Landmark E Street Cinema, and also features an interview with gay At-large D.C. Council member David Catania.
Update, 4:19 p.m.: On today's episode of Let's Talk Live, McKelway and co-host Natasha Barrett addressed yesterday's kerfuffle. Several viewers sent emails criticizing McKelway's treatment of Rogers; Barrett and McKelway read a few on-air, including one that asks point blank, "What kind of news organization are you people running?"
Finally, McKelway asked for a tight camera shot on his face and said, "An apology? Mike Rogers, you're not getting one!" with some other choice words for Rogers. Barrett called the whole incident his "Bill [O']Reilly moment." NewsChannel 8 posted the video to the show's web site.
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He doth protest too much.
Beat me to it.
In high heels with a whip.
Rowr.
His hair sure is puuuurty.
Natasha Barrett seems much more levelheaded than him. She tries to bring the subject matter back to the movie. Natasha does not personally attack him.
Poor guy, I would say that his wife is probably pretty upset right now, seeing how personally he seems to have taken it, but I know he is a banjo">http://www.wjla.com/assets/talent/doug_mckelway.html">banjo player- so he must not be in the closet himself. Who ever heard of a gay banjo player.
Wow did that link ever get messed up, I meant this: banjo player
seeing how personally he seems to have taken it
Exactly what I was thinking
McKelway has always been a second/third tier reporter.
Love the jab at Barney Frank, blaming him individually for the financial crisis... Someone has been reading the RNC's talking points.
well, i'd say you have an obligation to have a reporter there on friday night to witness the rogers/mckelway fisticuffs.
So, which closeted politician is McKelway sleeping with?
"I'd take you out back and give you a punch across the face....." ---> with what, Mr. McKelway? Hmmm? Hmmmm.
I think this is terrible. I remember when I quit smoking cigarettes. For a time I was sneaking out for a puff when my wife was not around. No biggee. Now, just because these guys choose to smoke a pipe every once in a while, there is no reason to out them.
Did you seriously just compare being Gay to smoking cigarettes?!
All together now ...
--WHOOSH--
Nope
I find your comments about gays (Miss California, DC recognizing gay marriages, etc) in general to be quite odd at times. Quite odd indeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.
I used to read Rogers blog, but its largely a waste of time. He's always claiming some big scoop that he's going to reveal "in XX days", or after he's had a chance to review it with his lawyers blah blah blah. Overall a pretty marginal character always screaming and struggling for attention.
I am sick to tears of these idiot local news reporters who think they have to take on broad, national issues since there here in DC. They should stick to stories on sexting and goat-excrement fueled unicycles like your man, Jim Vance. Nobody gives a rat's ass what Gordon Peterson thinks of the Pakistani situations.
More biased misinformation. That unicycle did not run on goat excrement. It ran on the smoldering corpses of alcoholics. I expect a full apology to the American Corpse Burning Unicycle Manufacturers Association.
Damn liberal media....
mmmmmmm Jim Vance
Please stand by
HA! That's brilliant. I wish I thought to look for that image when I put this post together.
couldn't have said it better than [8]. here's a clip of mckelway's co-host from today, telling him What...
http://www.letstalklive.tv/n_videoplayer.cfm?video=ltlmckelway050709.wmv&id=247
There was a co-host? I just saw two dudes arguing with a piece of furniture in a blue sweater between them.
"Next on FacePunchers: Barristas who punch junk, and the customers who ask for it. Only on NewsChannel 8."
Thank you for your post, Fredo. I, a gay man, having lived in the closet and now happy to have come out in my own terms, firmly believe in everyone’s right to privacy and generally oppose forced outings. With that said, however, when the subject of said outing is a public official cloaking his/her sexual orientation behind a public stand against LGBT equality, then I wholeheartedly agree with and support those seeking to expose them. These politicians are dishonest with their own electorate and their pathetic attempt at concealing their sexuality does so at the expense of my civil rights. I don’t care nor want to know anything about their sexual behavior, but if their stand against LGBT citizens is nothing more than an ill-fitting (and apparently crumbling) closet door, then I’ll happily show up at the cinema, popcorn in hand, with all the people I can gather.
P.S. McKelway has lost another viewer
Had he any to begin with? This video is the most play this guy has probably gotten in all of '09.
I haven't made up my mind on this. I'm leaning towards the "no outing" its nonya biz policy. DCres, where you draw the line on a pro-gay litmus test? Is being pro-civil union/anti-gay marriage grounds for outing? How about supporting gay marriage but making a public statement that you don't think there is any need for Obama to appoint an openly gay judge. Where do you draw the line?
You know better than me, but I can imagine its got to be tough. From what I see, all the outting would do is push people further in the closet.
Haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, but I'm sure Mr. McKelway must be somewhat pissed about being relegated to Channel 8. Wasn't he previously on one of the main networks?
McKelway is also the co-anchor for Good Morning Washington on WJLA-TV, NC8's sister station.
Send Doug an email here:
http://www.letstalklive.tv/showpage.cfm?a=h
Send Doug an email here:
http://www.letstalklive.tv/showpage.cfm?a=h
WE'LL DO IT LIVE.
Ha!!!!!! I love the O'Reilly reference!!!
Doug McKelway is gay. Maybe!
well i can't get the video to load...
i saw him this past sunday at bluegrass sunday brunch at fireflies! i'm going to throw rocks at him next time.
what an unprofessional kook. the first rule of journalism: remain unbiased. he broke that rule and then some, for sure. his ass needs to get fired.
I am outraged at so many of these comments who either could not watch the video or did not listen to the argument Doug McKelway was making. The perhaps "unprofessional" attack on Rogers was because he was accusing McKelway of being a gay hater and McKelway kept trying to say that was an absolute mischaracterization. McKelway's point was why PROFIT from outing gays who choose to remain private. It is a reasonable argument to make. Talk about "OUTRAGE" (the movie) this blogger Rogers is hurting his fellow gays and lesbians and their families. Just because you are gay DOES NOT mean the community can MAKE them a gay activist. SHAME on you Mr. Rogers, shame on you. Good for you Mr. McKelway!!! This was not about being against gays this was about Rogers exploiting gays for his own political agenda and financial gain.
I agree... Rogers is profiting from the outing of these politicians. It would be different if he donated all the profits from this film to a GLBT cause.
I meant Kirby Dick and the Magnolia Films, not Mike Rogers
Why not email Allbritton who owns the station? rallbritton@ALLBRITTONTV.COM is the only one out there on the web...
McKelway settled down by the end of the "interview" but he clearly came out swinging without any provocaiton from Rogers. And there's no excuse for threatening to punch someone. Really, a news reporter/talk show host/banjo player threatens to punch a guest? How professional. McKelway was trying to lash out at anything he could grasp, like claiming that Rogers outed former representative Foley. I have no idea if Rogers was technically the first to break the story on Foley, but Foley effectively outed himself when he sexted interns to begin with.
As for Mr. Rogers and his "agenda", I understand the point that people should be free to pursue their own private lives, public official or not. But when these elected officials consistently support policies and issues, and then go around back and pursue "actions" contradictory to their public opinions, then those "actions" become fair game.
Was it not fair to reveal that Strom Thurmond had fathered a half-black daughter from when he was supporting segregation? I think so. Yes, politicians are the best hypocrites, but it's also the duty of the media to reveal their hypocrisy. These closeted politicians who speak out against gays are like closeted gay kids in school who make gay jokes to cover up their own secrets. Except these politicians are ruining a lot of other people's lives.
What is really disturbing to me is that this man THREATENED another man on television. Issues aside, that was a clear threat.
DEAR GOD, WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN(of closeted anti-gay politicians)?!?!
If some politician smokes a lot of dope, yet rants against decriminalizing marijuana, he/she is a hypocrite and should be outed as such.
If some politican just likes to smoke a bowl once in a while, but keeps his views on the subject to him/her self, I say leave them alone.
Also, has anybody seen the Doritos?
Clearly the best part of this clip was at the very end when Natasha Barrett (the co-host who maintained her professionalism) said in response to Rogers and McKelway discussing seeing the movie Friday night, "They've got a date!"
I am surprised no one mentioned Eliot Spitzer in any of the comments. Hypocritical heterosexual consensual sex is OK?
Let's hope so.
No excuse for crossing the line of objective news to yellow journalism. If he interviewed an extremist who expounded killing public figures would he have said the same thing? Or was it just to easy to threaten a "fag"?
Even the blue sweater agrees with that. She takes him sorta to task in the second video -- and then hits him with papers. Clearly, violence is a beloved part of this program no one watches.
Also, catch her looking stricken as Dougie clutches her arm around minute 2.
"Can you give me a nice tight shot on my face?"
Rogers is a condescending little prick with delusions of power and needs a good punch in the mouth.
McKelway took this a little too personally re the family/punch in the mouth.
Is there something he's trying to tell us?
we have a channel 8?
Yes. It's a cable-only channel owned by the same company that owns WJLA-TV 7.
I agree with McKelway; outing is dangerous. In the early '80's A dentist I knew was gay -- a scorned boyfriend "outed" him. AIDS was just surfacing in the gay community and mode of transmission was a big question. That Outing cost the dentist his practice and his profession. It was just wrong on so many levels. That's McKelway's point. He's trying to defend Gay Rights, including the right to tell if and when YOU choose.