During the 2012 election campaign NBC refused to allow Chelsea Clinton to appear in political ads made by a same-sex marriage advocacy group based in the state of Washington that was trying to get a same-sex marriage referendum placed on state’s ballot.
Clinton, a longtime advocate for same-sex marriage, was hired by NBC News in 2011 to do feel good stories that aren’t political in nature; due to her contract, the network refused to give the gay advocacy group the go-ahead to run the ads either on TV or the web.
Clinton had already filmed the advocacy ads before NBC rendered its decision.
People who saw the video said that Chelsea talked of her feeling that everyone had a right to marry and claimed that a yes vote in Washington would send a message to the rest of the country to support same-sex marriage.
Washington state ultimately approved Referendum 74, without the assistance of the Clinton ads.
Via Tim Graham, the gay lifestyle website Queerty criticized NBC’s decision saying, “We understand a news outlet wanting to keep its on-air talent away from big public stances on the issues of the day. But Clinton has already appeared at various LGBT fundraisers and been outspoken in her support–as have out newsfolk like Don Lemon and Thomas Roberts. Maybe we should just accept that the days of opinion-free journalists are over.”
When she debuted on NBC in 2011, the former first daughter was called “one of the most boring people of her era,” but her contract was renewed the following year despite initial dour reviews.
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