Author Topic: Radio DJs spark outrage after admitting they MADE UP story about a homophobic RSVP to a party for '7-year-old daughter' of two gay men  (Read 629 times)

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Offline Rapunzel

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2560305/Radio-DJs-spark-outrage-reveal-story-homophobic-response-7-year-old-girls-birthday-invitation-hoax.html

Radio DJs spark outrage after admitting they MADE UP story about a homophobic RSVP to a party for '7-year-old daughter' of two gay men

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 16:24 EST, 15 February 2014 | UPDATED: 16:26 EST, 15 February 2014

Two radio DJs in Long Island who caused an uproar last week by posting the homophobic RSVP to a birthday party for a 'little girl with two gay dads' admitted on Saturday that the whole thing was a hoax.

K-98.3 DJs Steve Harper and Leeana Karlson on Wednesday posted on their show's Facebook page a heartbreaking note written on an invitation to a 'tie dye party' for a girl named 'Sophia's' seventh birthday.

The DJs tricked people into believing that Sophia had two gay dads, and the note - supposedly written by the mother of a friend of Sophia's, who they called 'Tommy' - stated 'Tommy will NOT attend. I do not believe in what you do and will not subject my innocent son to your lifestyle. I'm sorry Sophia has to grow up this way.'

People were outraged by the woman's apparent bigotry, and the two fraudsters even left a phone number for the woman - who they called 'Beth' - and encouraged people to give her a ring if they 'have an issue.'

On Saturday, the DJs - apparently at the behest of K-98.3 management - admitted that the entire story was a lie and issued an apology.

'Dear K-98.3 Listeners,' the statement begins, 'On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents.  We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

'This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us.  This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

'We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

'We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.'  We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.'

Bogus: Radio DJs Steve Harper and Leeana Karlson admitted they were responsible for this bogus RSVP that caused so much outrage last week

People already have taken to social media to express their outrage and 'disgust' over the DJs' exploiting such a sensitive issue for a cheap gag.

'I think this type of behavior is completely unacceptable,' Joni Selby wrote in the comment section of the pair's apology. 'There is enough of this type of hate going on without these two idiots creating a very public farce about it.  I frankly think they should be terminated and sanctioned.  Just horrible.....'

An anonymous poster wrote 'WHAT were they thinking (if indeed they WERE thinking!)? That was a stupid, vicious and totally unacceptable behavior. They should be fired ASAP.'

The initial - ultimately bogus - story that the mother of a 7-year-old would be so vicious on an RSVP to a little girl's birthday party gained a lot of traction in the blogosphere and outraged people across the world.

'So she is probably afraid the 2 gay men will influence her son and that he could 'become' gay? Well, I hope her son turns out to be gay.. So she can see that there is nothing you can do against it and it's not a choice,' a commenter from the Netherlands wrote in the comment section of the MailOnline article about the supposed homophobic RSVP.

It's unclear what - if any - further discipline the DJs will receive - station management did not respond to MailOnline's request for comment.


�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline happyg

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Dumbasses. There are a million ways to begin a dialogue without causing a ruckus. I don't think it had so much to do with the dialogue they mentioned, but to stir the pot to get more listeners. Even if true, there is no reason to publish it other than widen the divide, and look on conservatives as homophobes. The real homophobes, just like racists, are the liberals that keep trying to put conservatives in in bad light.

Offline Chieftain

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These two should be gone.  Period.  Paragraph.

This is just the latest so-called shock jock trying desperately to be funny on the air.  Remember when Howard Stern called Air Florida and asked them how much the fare was from National Airport to the 14th Street Bridge, the morning after that plane crash??  This is little different.

I could list endless other examples, but the one thing they all had in common was the perps were never heard on the air again...


Offline Rapunzel

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http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/25418-unbelievable

 02/15/2014 - 01:02 pm EST
Unbelievable.


According to this, radio personalities Steve and Leeanna from Long Island's K98.3 decided it would be super neato if they completely fabricated a story about gay dads being the victims of bigotry.  They publicized this birthday party invitation, which went completely viral:



It's a compelling story, isn't it?  A 7 year old's birthday party invitation returned to the senders (two gay dads) with that note on it?  The radio station posted that note on their Facebook page mid week this past week, and of course, readers went completely crazy over it, expressing their due outrage and offering their sympathy and support to the fathers.  It spread like wildfire.

The problem with the story, though, is that Steve Harper and Leanna (last name unknown) made up the entire thing, right down to the actual invitation, which they apparently hand-crafted.  And they wrote this apology note on the station's website yesterday:

    On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents. We also posted the invitatation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

    Dear K-98.3 Listeners,

    On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents.  We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

    This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us.  This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

    We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

    We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.'  We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.

    Sincerely,

    Steve & Leeana

    - See more at: http://www.k983.com/morning-show/morning-show.aspx#sthash.R2ycbkak.dpuf

    Dear K-98.3 Listeners,

    On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents.  We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

    This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us.  This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

    We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

    We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.'  We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.

    Sincerely,

    Steve & Leeana

    - See more at: http://www.k983.com/morning-show/morning-show.aspx#sthash.R2ycbkak.dpuf

    Dear K-98.3 Listeners,

    On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents.  We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

    This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us.  This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

    We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

    We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.'  We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.

    Sincerely,

    Steve & Leeana

    - See more at: http://www.k983.com/morning-show/morning-show.aspx#sthash.R2ycbkak.dpuf

    Dear K-98.3 Listeners,

    On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia's birthday party, and one parent's objection to the same-sex household of Sophia's parents.  We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.

    This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us.  This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

    We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

    We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.'  We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.

    Sincerely,

    Steve & Leeana


    - See more at: http://www.k983.com/morning-show/morning-show.aspx#sthash.R2ycbkak.dpuf

    This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us. This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership.

    We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.

    We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a 'life of its own.' We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust."


And people were pretty pissed off that they'd been duped, as they should have been.  They took to the station's facebook page to unleash their fury.







I can't really say it any better than those folks already did.  Now that Daisy and I ARE radio hosts, it's absolutely inconceivable to me that Steve and Leeanna did something so mindnumbingly stupid. I mean, WTF were they THINKING?  How could they POSSIBLY have thought this was a good idea?

How they haven't been fired, I have no clue. But I'm guessing they've really damaged their following.

WOW.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776