Homosexuals and lesbians?

[Rick336]

Here's a news story from the WFMY television station in Greensboro, North Carolina. WFMY is a CBS affilliate:

White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today

Washington, DC -- The south lawn of the White House turns into a playground for little kids pushing eggs with wooden spoons today. It's the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Children ages seven and under get to take part. First lady Laura Bush will read to the crowd, and characters such as Shrek and Charlie Brown will be on hand, but President Bush will be a no show.

Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement.

And participants will have to contend with the cold. It won't be raining like last year, but there is a freeze warning in the effect in the morning, and temperatures aren't expected to get out of the low 50s.



First of all, lesbians are homosexuals too, right? And how does being identified as gay become a political statement? Are all the African American families who attend also making a political statement?

Rick

[keltic63]

sounds like a good question to put to the station!

[Rick336]

sounds like a good question to put to the station!

Great idea Keltic. Here's the station's mailing address, phone number, and email addy. The news reporter who wrote the article is Obin Johnson:

WFMY News 2
1615 Phillips Ave
Greensboro, NC 27405

336-379-9369

assignmentdesk@wfmy.com

[keltic63]

I sent this out a few minutes ago. I sent it to the assignment desk listed above and cc'd it to objohnson@wfmy.gannett.com



Hello,

I'm reading your newsstory "White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today" and I am baffled by a few comments in the story. In particular the following: Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again to make a political statement.

My first question is, are lesbians not considered homosexual?

My second question is, how is showing up at an event that is open to the public a political statement? Would you say the same of other groups or minorities who attend the White House Easter Egg Roll? For instance, if you saw Latino families there, would it be a political statement protesting immigration reform?

Do you have sources to confirm that there was a concerted effort to encourage gay and lesbian parents to attend this year's event?

Thanks for taking time to review the story, and read this email.

[NathanATX]

Dear WFMY,

I read your recent article, "White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today."

I am a little curious about the distinction between "homosexual and lesbian" in this sentence: "Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement."

Is the author suggesting that lesbians aren't homosexual? Did the author intend to say "gay and lesbian?"

I'm also interested about the "political statement" Johnson refers to. Is it a "political statement" to say that our children might want to participate in the event just like anyone else's children? Is it a "political statement" to insist on being treated with the dignity that should be afforded all Americans?

This article reflects poorly on your organization. Either it was simply not edited well or it is the result of institutional ignorance and/or bias.

Clarification would be appreciated.

Peace,

Nathan Black

[NathanATX]

Dear WFMY,

I read your recent article, "White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today."

I am a little curious about the distinction between "homosexual and lesbian" in this sentence: "Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement."

Is the author suggesting that lesbians aren't homosexual? Did the author intend to say "gay and lesbian?"

I'm also interested about the "political statement" Johnson refers to. Is it a "political statement" to say that our children might want to participate in the event just like anyone else's children? Is it a "political statement" to insist on being treated with the dignity that should be afforded all Americans?

This article reflects poorly on your organization. Either it was simply not edited well or it is the result of institutional ignorance and/or bias.

Clarification would be appreciated.

Peace,

Nathan Black

Thank you for e-mailing WFMY News 2.

The story you are referring to (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662 (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662)) came to WFMY from the Associated Press, one of our wire services. As we are a local news station, we rely on partnerships with news agencies like the AP, CBS and CNN for additional content on our website and on our broadcast. While Obin Johnson posted the story, he is not the author and WFMY News 2 did not generate the content.

If you would like to contact the AP in regards to your questions/ concerns their web address is http://www.ap.org/ (http://www.ap.org/). You should be able to find phone/e-mail contact information on the site.

Thanks for e-mailing WFMY News 2.

Sincerely,
Maila Rible
Content Producer, WFMY News 2
mrible@wfmy.gannett.com

[NathanATX]

The AP email address is: info@ap.org

And, I have a business card for an AP recruiter at my house... if I don't get a response from this email address, I'll post the recruiter's email address.

[NathanATX]

I forwarded my initial email to WMFY and their response, along with this text:

Dear AP,

I am writing about this AP article posted at WFMY news: http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662 (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662)

I am very concerned about the ignorance and bias reflected in the article. Was it simply not edited well? As a student journalist, I am dissappointed in the quality of this article and think it reflects poorly on the Associated Press.


Peace,
Nathan Black

[keltic63]

the reply:


Thank you for e-mailing WFMY News 2.

The story you are referring to (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662 (http://javascript<b></b>:ol('http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid%3d82662');)) came to WFMY from the Associated Press, one of our wire services. As we are a local news station, we rely on partnerships with news agencies like the AP, CBS and CNN for additional content on our website and on our broadcast. While Obin Johnson posted the story, he is not the author and WFMY News 2 did not generate the content.

If you would like to contact the AP in regards to your questions/ concerns their web address is http://www.ap.org/ (http://javascript<b></b>:ol('http://www.ap.org/');). You should be able to find phone/e-mail contact information on the site.

Thanks for e-mailing WFMY News 2.

Sincerely,
Maila Rible
Content Producer, WFMY News 2
mrible@wfmy.gannett.com


I AM concerned because all the other versions of the AP story do not include that line about homosexuals and lesbians. :eek:

[NathanATX]

the reply:



I'm not concerned because all the other versions of the AP story do not include that line about homosexuals and lesbians. :eek:


... oh REALLY... :eek: :mad: :mad: :mad: :eek:

[keltic63]

... oh REALLY... :eek: :mad: :mad: :mad: :eek:

see that? I'm just too tired from Holy Week!

[NathanATX]

to WMFY news

"Dear Ms. Rible,

I went to the AP website and found this story: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EASTER_EGG_ROLL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-04-09-12-34-43 (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EASTER_EGG_ROLL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-04-09-12-34-43)

There is nothing like "Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement" in the story.

Do you have a link to an AP story with that quote?

Thank you,

Nathan Black"

[Rick336]

Here's the email I sent to WFMY. I sent it to them because Obin Johnson's name was attached to the article:

Dear Obin Johnson,

I read your news article about the 2007 White House Easter egg roll on the WFMY website. The article was informative, however, I was confused by the following sentence in the article:

"Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement."

I think what you meant to say was not homosexual and lesbian parents but gay and lesbian parents. Homosexuals are people who have a sexual and affectional attraction to members of their own sex. This means that lesbians are homosexuals. Therefore the term "homosexuals and lesbians" in your article doesn't make sense.

It also doesn't make sense to refer to gay and lesbian parents attending the egg roll as making a political statement. How does simply being identified as gay or lesbian become a political statement? Do you consider African American, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American families who attend the egg roll as making a political statement?

Thanks you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

Rick Hunter

[NathanATX]

see that? I'm just too tired from Holy Week!

Well, I'm not concerned about the AP, but WMFY... that's another story. :mad:

[NathanATX]

Does anyone remember where the website with all the media contacts is?

If I don't get a satisfactory response from WMFY, I'm sending a blast to all the media in their region.

[keltic63]

Well, I'm not concerned about the AP, but WMFY... that's another story. :mad:

so it's possible that the WMFY is a severely edited version of the AP story, in which case it looks like WMFY has some explaining to do.

[NathanATX]

so it's possible that the WMFY is a severely edited version of the AP story, in which case it looks like WMFY has some explaining to do.

Man, I really don't like being lied to.

[keltic63]

Man, I really don't like being lied to.

How can we confirm the version of the story that was supplied to WFMY??? I don't want to jump to conclusions yet, although I'm afraid that there has been some deception.

[NathanATX]

How can we confirm the version of the story that was supplied to WFMY??? I don't want to jump to conclusions yet, although I'm afraid that there has been some deception.

True, I'm not certain I've been lied to. I asked her to tell me the source of her article. Also, she may have sent a response to me without knowing that Obin truly did write a revised story... and in the case that he did, a revision/clarification would be requested from WMFY.

[andrewlittle]

According to a couple of accounts I found, the AP is credited with bringing the issue of gay activism to the forefront.

http://www.oweb.com/news/story/044202007_newEasterEggRol.asp

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49725

[NathanATX]

According to a couple of accounts I found, the AP is credited with bringing the issue of gay activism to the forefront.

http://www.oweb.com/news/story/044202007_newEasterEggRol.asp

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49725

Both of those articles have more integrity than WFMY's article.

I don't have a problem with the first one at all.

The second one is CLEARLY biased... and not at all unexpected from WorldNet Daily.

However, WMFY's version irritates the heck out of me.

Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement.


"Gay and Lesbian" are the normative terms that most credible news agencies use, including the AP. The word "homosexual" very likely reflects WMFY's bias.

Simply saying they... " plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement," without the full text of the AP story turns what might have been a human interest story with actual quotes into a fundamentalist-fear-inducing-one-liner. Very irresponsible reporting.

[NathanATX]

Dear Ms. Rible,

I understand you are saying the AP published the story through it's news service, which WMFY is subscribed to, and you have published it without any edits.

I have contacted the AP and am asking them for clarification of the article.

My question for WMFY is this: Who takes any responsibility for posting/publishing content that may be uninformed, biased and/or poorly written? I understand the content may be entirely the work of the AP writers, but I do believe that your organization determines which items to publish through your media. Is this correct?

Ms. Rible, I am looking for two things. First, a response that takes responsibility for writing and/or publishing content that is uninformed, biased and/or poorly written. Second, a commitment to be more vigilant in preventing the publication of media that is uninformed, biased and/or poorly written.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my two requests.

Sincerely,

Nathan Black

[Rick336]

According to a couple of accounts I found, the AP is credited with bringing the issue of gay activism to the forefront.

http://www.oweb.com/news/story/04420...sterEggRol.asp

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=49725

The above articles are from last year's egg roll. Here's an article I found from the Associated Press about this year's egg roll that doesn't mention gay families:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EASTER_EGG_ROLL?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[NathanATX]

The above articles are from last year's egg roll. Here's an article I found from the Associated Press about this year's egg roll that doesn't mention gay families:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EASTER_EGG_ROLL?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Actually the first article looks like it is about this year's event. The WorldNet malarkey is from last year.

[andrewlittle]

The above articles are from last year's egg roll. Here's an article I found from the Associated Press about this year's egg roll that doesn't mention gay families:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EASTER_EGG_ROLL?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Yeah, you're right. I looked at the wrong dates on the pages.

The story you quoted was also on the U.K.'s Guardian website, and I had wondered if they edited out any reference to GLBT or activism. Evidently not.

I have not been able to find any other article listed that makes the same remarks that the WMFY one does. That does't mean they don't exist but, if that was all included in the AP story, you'd think other papers or news sources would have included the same biased remarks.

[NathanATX]

To whom it may concern:

In the article titled "White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today," published by WMFY News 2, an Associated Press subscriber, on their website at http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662 (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662), a statement is included that I believe possibly violate's WMFY's agreement with iCopywright and the Assoicated Press.

"Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement."

In my communication with Maila Rible, mrible@wfmy.gannett.com (http://us.f904.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=mrible@wfmy.gannett), who is the Content Producer at WFMY News 2, I was informed the article was received "as-is" from the AP subscription service and then published on WMFY's website. I have not been able to find any other news agencies using the same story and am not satisfied with the station's response.

I became initially concerned about this story because of the above quoted sentence. I believe that "gay and lesbian" are the normative terms used to describe gay and lesbian people and I believe that most credible news agencies use these words, including the AP. The word "homosexual" very likely reflects WMFY's bias.

The rest of the sentence, "...plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement," without the full text of the AP story, as found on http://www.oweb.com/news/story/044202007_newEasterEggRol.asp (http://www.oweb.com/news/story/044202007_newEasterEggRol.asp) and other websites, turns what might have been a good human interest story with actual quotes into an alarmist one-liner. I believe this is very irresponsible reporting.

I request your help in clarifying whether or not the WMFY story is, in fact, the actual AP story. If it is not the AP story and is being published as such, I trust there will be a quick correction published on WMFY's website.

If it is, in fact, the original AP story, I have two requests. First, a response that takes responsibility for writing and/or publishing content that is uninformed, biased and/or poorly written. Second, a commitment to be more vigilant in preventing the publication of media that is uninformed, biased and/or poorly written.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my requests.

Sincerely,

Nathan Black

Enclosures: Correspondence with WMFY's Maila Rible.

[Rick336]

Nathan,

Great letter to the Associated Press! It was very well stated and to the point.

I do, however, feel certain that the Egg Roll article from the Intelligencer News website link that you included is actually from 2006. In the article it mentions that it was a rainy day to roll eggs. Last year it rained all day in Washington on Easter Monday. This year it was cool but sunny.

This will probably not have any affect on their response since your request was for clarification of the wording of the current WFMY Egg Roll news article and whether it was indeed from AP.

I'm looking forward to a response to you from AP.

Rick

[Rick336]

I watched the WFMY News at 5:00 today. There was a report with video of the White House Egg Roll but there was no mention of "homosexual and lesbian parents making a political statement."

Maybe they decided to leave that part out.

Rick

[keltic63]

Here is the extent of the reply from Obin Johnsons:


The story was from the Associated News service.

[keltic63]

My newest email:


Maila Rible and Obin Johnson,

You've no doubt heard from others about this story. Your email responses serve to raise more questions for me and others following your coverage of the story.
What is the source of the story? Is it AP, or Associated News (ANM?) You can see that I've received conflicting answers. Beyond the source, who is responsible for the content? Does WFMY regularly post news stories without proofreading?
"Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement." is an awkward sentence that indicates lesbians are not homosexual, and the term "homosexual" is often used by conservatives to indicate some bias against gay and lesbian people.
I am concerned that there may have been some revising or editing of the original story to include bias against gay and lesbian people. I have been unable to find news reports from AP sources that include that particular sentence.
Who is ultimately responsible for the content that may be uninformed or poorly written? Is it the news source, or is it the outlet that publishes the story?
I would really appreciate a clear response to these questions.
Steve

[keltic63]

I'm happy to say that I got a quick response from Maila Rible, but it's not clear whether the story has been edited. It appears that she is standing by her claim that the story was posted on the station's website as it was received from AP.

Nate, any word from AP?

[NathanATX]

It's time to generate a press release.

[andrewlittle]

It's time to generate a press release.

I know your skills are up to it, and I'm guessing your dander is too.

[NathanATX]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From: Nathan Black (http://www.myspace.com/nathanatx), LGBT Equality Activist
Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2007

WMFY News 2 & Irresponsible Reporting

In a time when journalistic accuracy and professionalism is increasingly important because of the sometimes disastrous impact published mistakes can create, most news organizations are extremely proactive about protecting their reputation and credibility. When mistakes are made, they are usually acknowledged and corrected.

However, that is not always the case.

In the article titled "White House Holding Easter Egg Roll Today," published by WMFY News 2 on their website at http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662 (http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/national/article.aspx?storyid=82662), a statement is included that I believe reflects WMFY's journalistic unprofessionalism.

"Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement."

In my communication with Maila Rible, who is the Content Producer at WFMY News 2, I was informed the article was received "as-is" from the Associated Press subscription service and then published -without any edits- on WMFY's website. I have not been able to find any other news agencies using the same version of this article story and am not satisfied with the station's response.

I became initially concerned about this story because of the above quoted sentence. I believe that "gay and lesbian" are the normative terms used to describe gay and lesbian people and I believe that most credible news agencies use these words, including the Associated Press. The word "homosexual" very likely reflects WMFY's bias.

The rest of the sentence, "...plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement," without the full text of the AP story, has no source and seems to refer to events at last year's White House Easter Egg Roll. It turns what might have been a good human interest story with actual quotes into an alarmist one-liner. I believe this is very irresponsible reporting.

Despite requests from various people for WMFY to acknowledge the error, make a correction and be more vigilant in the future, WMFY has chosen to pass the buck and blame the Associated Press. Even if the article was truly posted "as-is," which I doubt, WMFY is still responsible for the content they allow to be posted on their organization's media.

[NathanATX]

Sent to around 40 media outlets in North Carolina, as well as to GLAAD, HRC & Soulforce.

[keltic63]

Sent to around 40 media outlets in North Carolina, as well as to GLAAD, HRC & Soulforce.


Way to Go Nate!!!!!

[Rick336]

Great job Nathan!!:tup:

I'm glad you did this. It's good to make news sources accountable for irresponsible writing.

WFMY could have made the simple change to this news story yesterday after we brought it to their attention. I'm not sure if the wording was intentionally written as a result of bias or if it was just a matter of being uneducated to LGBT issues. But it definitely should have been corrected.

Rick

[tdogg]

Right on Nate! :weee: :rainbow:

[Vanessa White]

I am so grateful to have you around. You always seize the opportunity and I really appreciate it!!! :) :love:

[NathanATX]

Here's wht it is a problem:

From http://www.glaad.org/media/guide/style.php

admitted homosexual.
Avoid this term, which suggests criminality or shame. Make it acknowledged or declared homosexual, openly gay or openly lesbian if a modifier is indeed necessary. (Also see gay; lesbian; sexual orientation.)

bisexual.
Do not use the slang shorthand bi.

homosexuality.
See admitted homosexual; bisexual; gay; lesbian; sexual orientation.

gay (adj.)
is preferred to homosexual in references to social or cultural identity and political or legal issues: gay literature. Use homosexual in specific references to sexual activity and to psychological or clinical orientation. Gay may refer to homosexual men or more generally to homosexual men and women. In specific references to women, lesbian is preferred. When the distinction is useful, write gay men and lesbians. Do not use gay as a singular noun. Gays, a plural noun, may be used only as a last resort, ordinarily in a hard-to-fit headline. Also see sexual orientation.

[Rick336]

Nathan,

The sentence in the article from the WFMY web site that says "Homosexual and lesbian parents plan to turn out again this year to make a political statement," seems ignorant. I don't believe however, it is equal to the offensive bias that Don Imus used in referring to the Rutger's women's basketball team as "...nappy headed hos," or Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a "faggot."

In other words, to me the sentence in WFMY's article is more incorrect than it is offensive.

What disturbs me about WFMY's article is that they didn't bother to correct or delete that sentence. Even though in their news broadcast on Monday night they ommitted the statement about "homosexuals and lesbians" in their report about the Whitehouse Egg Roll, they left the web site article as it was.

But the most disturbing thing about all of this is that it's beginning to appear that we've been lied to by WFMY. If the Associated Press never wrote and sent out the article as it appeared on the website then Orbin Johnson or someone on his staff must have written it.

Being lied too by WFMY is very offensive and shows a total disrespect to us and the viewers of their website. If it is found that their explaination about the article is untrue I think we deserve a correction to the article and an apology.

Thanks for all the research and work you've done on this.

Rick

[keltic63]

<snip>
In other words, to me the sentence in WFMY's article is more incorrect than it is offensive.

<snip>

But the most disturbing thing about all of this is that it's beginning to appear that we've been lied to by WFMY.
<snip>




I think that not only is the sentence incorrect, but that without further explanation, it is also offensive. They might as well have said "those damn gays are at it again!"

Overshadowing all of that, and perhaps now the bigger offense, is the apparent lying that was done to cover up the mistakes/offenses/biases.

[Rick336]

They might as well have said "those damn gays are at it again!"

I agree, and when I first read the news article that's exactly what came to mind about their intentions.

But back in 1994 I wrote an Op-Ed Opinion Editorial for my local newspaper responding to an anti-gay article by national newspaper columnist Cal Thomas. Throughout the editoral I referred to LGBT people as "the gay and lesbian community."

I was invited down to the newspaper's office to have my photo taken for the article.The editoral page editor welcomed me into her office and was very pleased that an openly gay man had submitted a response to Cal Thomas' bigoted views on homosexuality.

Latter in the week I got another call from her to come back down and have my photo re-taken because she was not pleased with the poor quality of the original photo. She seemed genuinly concerned about my imagine being a positive one. She was a very pleasant and open minded person.

However, when the article appeared in the newspaper, the words "gays and lesbians" had been changed to read "homosexuals and lesbians". My immediate reaction was anger. But then I realized that the edit could not have been out of malice or bias because nothing else in the 700 word article had been changed.

The following week I wrote a personal letter to her thanking her for including my editoral on the editoral page and for making me feel welcome at the Winston-Salem Journal. I also explained to her in the letter that the term, "gays and lesbians" is a better term than "homosexuals and lesbians" and explained to her why.

I think that she sincerely believed that the word "homosexuals" was actually less offensive than the word "gays" and is the reason why she changed it in my article. And apparently she understood my reasoning in my letter to her because in my next article concerning LBGT issues the term "gays and lesbians" was left exactly as I had submitted it.

There is the chance that this may have been the case with Orbin Johnson's article on the WFMY website. However, to say that the gay families' attending the egg roll was a political statement seems less innocent but still not terribly offensive.

But as Nathan has pointed out, to pass the buck to the Associated Press when it could have easliy been corrected is irresponsible. And now that it appears that there's no evidence that WFMY recieved it "as-is" is highly suspicious and appears that the sentence could have indeed been the result of bias.

As Nathan said in an earlier post, WFMY has some explaining to do.

Rick

[squirt07]

Thinking of homosexuals and lesbians, the articles I have read lately use that division of classification as well. How weird.