‘Fixer Uppers’ aren’t guilty merely by association

In all this recent talk about fake news and its effect on the real world, an important nuance of the debate has been left out: irresponsible “real” journalism.

Specifically, stories built around misleading headlines or queries that serve as trumpets about issues sure to mine the contrived outrage society of social media.

Case in point, last week’s dustup around Chip and Joanna Gaines, the Waco residents and stars of HGTV’s hit show “Fixer Upper,” who are probably more popular than any Texas politician elected to office last month.

BuzzFeed posted an article last week — the same week Season 4 of “Fixer Upper” premiered — that, essentially, asked if the openly Christian Gaineses are against same-sex marriage.

That’s it. I mean, the story had more to it — from making assumptions about the Gaineses’ personal beliefs based on their church pastor’s preachings to details about the demographics of “Fixer Upper” — but ultimately it wondered why this celebrity couple was so silent on an issue that’s so important to so many humans.

And, as you know, in the online world, silence, and the assumptions created in its void, can be deadly.

What followed was a tide of social media outrage that tried to convict the Gaineses of crimes of homophobia because the couple hadn’t issued a statement to say otherwise.

The BuzzFeed story didn’t accuse the Gaineses of anything. It didn’t outright call them homophobes. But the fact that this piece, with the headline “Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Church is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage,” was presented at all felt like a strange, passive attack on people who associate with someone who has inflammatory beliefs.

Chip and Joanna still haven’t said anything.

Meanwhile, a representative of HGTV told the Huffington Post: “We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.”

Of course, the network was going to say that. And, of course, some people are still mad at the Gaineses, possibly enough to stop watching their way-too-popular show.

But I do wonder, did this article have to be written? If BuzzFeed, or any other journalistic website, penned prose about the odd associations of every celebrity in the zeitgeist, we’d be drowning in enough hatred to despise them all.

Or from another perspective, it would be just like what has become of political “news.” Yuck.

We deserve better. And maybe the Gaineses do, too. Maybe.