The Hollywood Reporter’s Marisa Guthrie reports that the Human Rights Campaign will be monitoring NBC’s coverage of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws during the Sochi Olympics.
The Human Rights Campaign plans to track NBC’s coverage of Russia’s troublesome anti-gay laws during the 17 days of Olympic competition. The law makes expressions of homosexuality, or “propaganda,” illegal, putting LGBT Russians and those visiting the country in legal jeopardy, but also spurring violence against many in that community.
“NBC has a unique opportunity to report on Russia’s inhumane assault on the rights of LGBT people to the millions of American television viewers tuning in to watch the Olympic Games over the next few weeks,” HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement. “They’ve promised to not shy away from covering the issue, and we will hold them to their word.”
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EP of NBC’s Olympics coverage Jim Bell told reporters that the coverage isn’t intended to “poke a sharp stick in anybody’s eyes,” but NBC won’t ignore the topic, leaning heavily on the resources of NBC News in the event of breaking news.
Today, a U.N. committee on children’s rights called for Russia to repeal their anti-LGBT law, while U.S. Olympic Committee sponsor AT&T condemned violence and discrimination against LGBT on their website yesterday.