ABC And NBC Celebrate Anniversary Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal

The day before the one-year anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, both ABC’s World News and the NBC Nightly News on Wednesday took the time to celebrate the first time that a same-sex couple won the U.S. Navy’s lottery that allows their welcome home kiss to be featured as the first photographed kiss. ABC substitute anchor George Stephanopoulos read a short item on the subject:
And we saw this remarkable image today that puts a new twist on an old Navy tradition. For the first time, two women sailors shared the traditional first kiss that marks a Navy ship’s return home. It happened when the U.S.S. Oak Hill docked in Virginia Beach after 80 days at sea and was made possible by the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the rule that prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. There is a first.

Before running a full report touting the success of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a year ago, NBC anchor Brian Williams also featured the kiss:

Tomorrow will mark one year to the day that President Obama signed the repeal of the U.S. military policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, banning openly gay and lesbian service members. And just today, a sign of the times. Two women shared the traditional first kiss after the U.S.S. Oak Hills returned to home port in Virginia.
Sailors and their families buy dollar raffle tickets for the chance at it, and those two women happened to win it. Critics said changing this law would never work in the real world of combat. Tonight, NBC’s Jim Maceda takes one measure of the change on the ground with some of America’s troops in Afghanistan.

NBC correspondent Jim Maceda’s report then focused on placing a positive spin on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:

JIM MACEDA: Task Force Bulldog, on patrol in eastern Afghanistan. It’s the kind of combat unit that would implode, critics warned, if Don’t Ask, Don’t tell were repealed. But the chaos they predicted if openly gay and lesbian soldiers served in close quarters during combat never happened.

STAFF SERGEANT CHRIS BOSTICK, U.S. ARMY: I don’t think anything’s really changed at all.

MACEDA: Staff Sergeant Chris BostiCk is on his third combat tour, a squad leader.

 Read More at MRC By Brad Wilmouth, Media Research Center