Truth Wins Out (TWO), a nonprofit organization fighting anti-LGBT extremism, is “strongly urging” that NBC add to its 2014 Sochi Olympic Games primetime broadcasting lineup a “special human rights correspondent” who would provide viewers with “hard-hitting pieces exposing the reality of what LGBT people, political dissidents and other minorities face every day under the Putin regime.”
TWO’s designated choice for the “would be” post is MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, and the group has launched an online petition calling on NBC to “do the right thing” and give the “beloved” and “esteemed journalist” the assignment.
As TWO Associate Director Evan Hurst explains, “Rachel has the expertise and the instincts to tell this full story to a viewing audience who are appalled by the treatment of their Russian brothers and sisters.”
Hurst said, “Adding her to NBC’s coverage won’t fly in the face of the Olympic spirit, but rather enhance it, as there is nothing in the ethics or the history of the Olympic Games that can coexist peacefully with the war Russia is waging against her own citizens, and the rest of the world needs to know.”
TWO wants to “ensure fair and accurate coverage” and, short of a boycott–an idea which the group notes is worth considering–believes the hiring of Maddow to be like winning the silver.
“The spotlight can be harsh, but Russia specifically asked for it when they submitted a bid and agreed to host the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi,” said TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen. “People around the world want to watch and support the Olympics, but they want to do so with a clear conscience.”
Because TWO regards the MSNBC personality “one of the most respected television journalists in the United States, with a reputation for being thorough, fair, informative and entertaining,” it see its choice of Maddow as being “frankly, a no-brainer.”