The Indianapolis Star covered its front page Tuesday morning with an editorial demanding Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and the state legislature undo the damage it has caused by passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The governor has stiffly held that he will not push to repeal the law he signed, claiming the law only guarantees religious freedom not suffer “undo burden” from state laws. But business leaders, activists and even the biggest local government in the state say it opens the door for discrimination if an employer can claim it opposes homosexuality on the grounds of religion.
The editorial calls for immediate and definitive action “to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodations on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The Star’s publisher, Karen Ferguson, tweeted late Monday night:
It's this important. Tuesday's front page. #rfra pic.twitter.com/jem4Cf5BWg”
— Karen Ferguson (@karenferguson33) March 31, 2015
The bold front page is a response to a firestorm that followed the passage of Indiana’s religious freedom law last week.
On Monday, nine CEO’s of some of Indiana’s biggest employers delivered a letter to the governor demanding lawmakers modify the law so it could not be used to deny rights based on sexual orientation or gender identification. It is highly unusual for such large companies as Cummins, Lilly and other big Indiana corporations to take such a strong and public stand on controversial social issues. The head of Angie’s List cancelled the company’s plan to use city and state money to expand its Hoosier headquarters. Politicians in Chicago, Cincinnati and Virginia quickly went to work trying to attract unhappy Indiana companies away. A convention of government employees and a concert also have cancelled plans to come to Indiana in protest of the state law. The City of Indianapolis local government even passed a resolution opposing the state law.
The Star’s editorial began:
We are at a critical moment in Indiana’s history.
And much is at stake.
Our image. Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome. And our efforts over many years to retool our economy, to attract talented workers and thriving businesses, and to improve the quality of life for millions of Hoosiers.
All of this is at risk because of a new law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that no matter its original intent already has done enormous harm to our state and potentially our economic future.
The Star’s strong front page stance calls to mind another front page editorial from 2011, when the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania said it was time for Penn State’s president to step aside after the school’s sex scandal.
In 2005, the Sun Herald tried to focus national attention in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi that it said had been largely overlooked in media coverage after Katrina.
A book published in 2007 by Michele Weldon explained that front-page editorials seemed to be on the rise since 2000. Slate reported, “Weldon discovered that the number of front-page pieces that openly included opinion or analysis increased sharply between 2001 and 2004. Weldon told Slate that boldly placed editorials and opinions are a way for papers to reach readers in ways that other means of communication cannot.
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