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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 8 posts ] 
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 Post subject: what a drag!
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 9:29 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2004 12:01 am
Posts: 6
Location: Arkansas
I thought newspapers were supposed to be inclusive in their coverage, but apparently not at my paper. Anything with a gay slant seems to get spiked for fear of offending people. A photo of two women kissing was spiked, and now a drag queen photo has met the same fate. Has anyone else had similar problems?


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 10:15 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 3137
Location: Homebush NSW Australia
Publication wouldn't raise an eyebrow here.


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:57 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 22, 2004 12:01 am
Posts: 160
Location: Australia
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Paul Wiggins:
Publication wouldn't raise an eyebrow here.<hr></blockquote>
Sydney is the home of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
But provincial Australia is not so tolerant...


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:49 am 
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Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 1:01 am
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Location: New Jersey
When the Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage, I ran a photo on page 10 (or so) of the A section that showed two men kissing very chastely.<p>I'm told that the publisher received many calls the next day calling him all sorts of unprintable names.<p>I'm sorry our publisher went through that, but I'm not sorry for running the photo. And I respected my EE for not telling me I was wrong to do it or that I shouldn't do it again. She just wanted me to be aware of the reaction I provoked.


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:28 am 
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Joined: Sat May 22, 2004 12:01 am
Posts: 160
Location: Australia
The Australian prime minister, a resident of Sydney, recently pretended to be shocked by acknowledgement of gaity:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr> PM slams ABC over gay mums
June 6, 2004
THE ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation]was foolish to introduce the issue of lesbian parents into the children's program Play School, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
The national broadcaster's popular children's show last Monday aired a story of a girl called Brenna going to a fair with her two mothers.
"This is just a very foolish thing for the ABC to do," Mr Howard told Channel Nine's Sunday program in a pre-recorded interview.
"This is an example of the ABC running an agenda in a children's program.
"If people want to debate that issue, do it on a program like Lateline, but not on Play School."
<hr></blockquote>


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:40 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1775
Location: Baltimore
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Matthew Grieco:
When the Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage, I ran a photo on page 10 (or so) of the A section that showed two men kissing very chastely.<p>I'm told that the publisher received many calls the next day calling him all sorts of unprintable names.
[snip]
<hr></blockquote><p>i would expect this reaction from readers of any U.S. paper.
that's my expectation, not my wish.


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:23 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 1025
Location: The Lexington Avenue Spaceship
There is a certain segment of the population that regards any treatment of gays and lesbians, other than that which paints us in a decidedly negative light, as offensive on its face. Those people will always be vocal about that belief, and they generally cannot be reasoned with. With the current state of visibility and broader societal acceptance of gay people, newspapers have two choices: Acknowledge the state of things and provide coverage of gay people, events and issues as they would anything else, or cower in fear of bigots and ignore those things. If the bosses at your paper want to make the latter choice, they should know that they're (a) failing to provide a complete and balanced news report and (b) quickly being left behind by history.<p>I'll come down off my soapbox now to recommend a couple of places you can look for guidance on coverage of gay issues:
The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association has a journalists' toolbox with resources for journalists. And Poynter provided this take on the issue a few months ago.<p>[ June 24, 2004: Message edited by: EMorse ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: what a drag!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 4:02 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 1112
Location: An undisclosed alpine meadow
Those links provide useful perspectives, but let's bear in mind that the people who wrote those "guidelines" are not authorized to speak for all members of the groups in question.


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