What a wonderful (cough cough)spokesman for the company:
TURNER'S REP IS IN ASHES
Thursday,March 8,2001
By ANDY GELLER
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TED TURNER
Outraged leaders of Christian groups labeled Ted Turner a bigot yesterday after the Mouth from the South called staffers who wore ashes on their foreheads for Ash Wednesday "Jesus freaks."
The CNN honcho, who once proclaimed that Christianity is "for losers," made the insulting remark in the network's Washington newsroom last Wednesday at a staff meeting that preceded a retirement party for anchor Bernard Shaw.
About 300 people were present and three or four staffers had ashes on their foreheads to mark Ash Wednesday.
Sources said Turner stared at one of the staffers and said, "I was looking at this woman and I was trying to figure out what was on her forehead. At first I thought you were in the earthquake" in Seattle that day.
As puzzled staffers furrowed their brows, the cable tycoon unleashed this zinger:
"I realized you're just Jesus freaks. Shouldn't you guys be working for Fox?"
Turner laughed, and there were a few titters in the audience, but most of the 300 people greeted the remarks with stony silence.
"It was just such an ignorant statement to make," said one source.
Turner spokeswoman Ronnie Gunnerson had nothing to say about her boss's latest outburst, first reported by Brit Hume Tuesday night on his "Special Report" program on Fox.
Shaw said he didn't know anything about the incident.
But leaders of Christian groups were quick to attack Turner as a bigot - and to suggest he could benefit from sensitivity training.
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Human Rights, noted Turner had previously called pro-life Christians "Bozos," insulted the pope and accused Christianity of being "very intolerant."
"Ted Turner is a recidivist. He's a repeat offender. The man has an anti-Christian bias that runs deep in his bones," Donohue said.
"He may be just as dumb as John Rocker, but, unlike the Atlanta pitcher, he occupies a position of significant influence in our culture. That is why we look to his superiors at AOL Time Warner to denounce Turner for his relentless attacks on Christians. Indeed, they might want to take a page from professional baseball and ship Turner off for some sensitivity training."
"Amazing," agreed Gary Bauer, an activist for the Christian right and former presidential candidate.
"Once again, Ted Turner has demonstrated his ignorance and his hostility to the religious beliefs of millions of Americans. I'm not surprised, given his past history, which has repeatedly displayed evidence of religious bigotry," Bauer said.
"Oh my word," said Jan LaRue, a lawyer for the conservative Family Research Council.
"CNN is getting beaten to death by Fox in the ratings wars. If Turner thinks Christianity is for losers, he is wrong to say that 'Jesus freaks' belong at Fox. It sounds like Christianity is for winners," she said.
"Ted's comments also sound like there might be religious discrimination in employment at CNN. Are 'Jesus freaks' not welcome there?" she added.
Turner commented that Christianity is for losers a decade ago - and quickly apologized for it. But just last August, he accused Christianity of being "very intolerant."
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