Fox News is strongly suggesting the recent increase in same-sex marriages is behind the “decline” of “traditional marriage.”
Monday evening on Fox News‘ “Special Report,” anchor Bret Baier opened a segment on the decline of marriage with these three sentences:
(1) “Alaska began accepting marriage applications from same-sex couples after a court struck down the state’s ban yesterday.”
(2) “It’s been a rough year for proponents of ‘traditional marriage.'”
(3) “Tonight, correspondent Shannon Bream reports that overall, the institution as we have known it, is in decline.”
Bam!
That all he needed to do to get Fox News viewers to believe that (1) same-sex marriage is causing (2) “traditional marriage” to (3) “decline.”
Everything the Fox News correspondent says after that will be perceived as supporting the idea that same-sex marriage is causing the “decline” of “traditional marriage.”
This, of course, is how Fox News operates – and keeps the masses in fear.
Media Matters notes that “Fox correspondent Shannon Bream cited a variety of factors that could explain the decline in heterosexual marriage, including the legalization of same-sex marriage in many states,” and adds,
The idea that same-sex marriage somehow discourages heterosexual marriage has been embraced by extreme anti-LGBT rights groups like the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, but has no basis in fact.
The Atlantic also pointed out that the link is unsubstantiated, because the decline in heterosexual marriage came before the rise of gay marriage…
And just to be clear, same-sex marriage is not causing a decline in marriage by different-sex couples.Â
Image: Fox News