Subject: MediAlert!, Aug. 18-31
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 1996 02:29:45 -0400

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX:  "MediAlert!" for 18 August 96  [Please Note:  Parts "A" and "B" have
been distributed separately].

PART A
-Item 1: "Singing In The Showers" [Nada Surf; Elektra; Bayonne High School;
MTV; It's Elementary - Talking About Gay Issues in School; Mass. M.I.C.; The
Official Nada Surf Home Page].
-Item 2: "Goofy Boycott" [Walt Disney Company; Southern Baptist Convention;
American Family Association; Media & Democracy - A Book of Readings &
Resources; Media Concentration Campaign].

PART B
-"MediAlert/BRIEFS" [Talking Pictures; Siskel & Ebert; When Democracy Works
video Project; YouthArts Project; Patricia Nell Warren; The Daily Show;
Comedy Central; Jeffrey Dion Burton; CounterSprin; Adopt-A-Station; FAIR;
Media Education Foundation; National Media Literacy Conference; Cultural
Studies Center].

-General Information [about MediAlerts; author notes].
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

        M   e   d   i   A   l    e   r   t   !
        _______________________________

        August 18 - 31, 1996      Al Kielwasser

[ 1 ]

S I N G I N G   I N   T H E   S H O W E R S

Nada Surf's new hit single "Popular" (Elektra Records) is an incisive,
sarcastic swipe at high school mores and teen social conventions.  However,
it's not the song's biting lyrics -- but a few seconds of video tape -- that
have one school official crying foul.

The music video for "Popular" contains a brief shower scene that recently
raised the homophobic hackles of Leo Smith, vice principal of New Jersey's
Bayonne High School.  The video's closing scene -- which portrays young male
athletes showering and (gasp!) smiling at each other -- is offensive, says
Smith, because it suggests that some members of the Bayonne football team
might actually be homosexual.

"Popular" was shot on location at Bayonne High -- with administration
approval -- and the cast made use of the school's cheerleading and football
uniforms.  However, Smith says, he never would have consented to the
production had he known the video would contain such "suggestive" imagery.

According to Nada Surf, the shower scene was never intended to suggest
homosexuality.  Indeed, both the song's lyrics and the bulk of the video's
imagery are predominantly -- and blatantly -- heterosexual.  The video
features passionate, heterosexual kissing scenes, for example, which go well
beyond any "suggestive" smiles that so offended Smith.

Significantly, the band members quickly took exception to Smith's homophobic
attack.  During an "MTV News" report on the controversy, Nada Surf lambasted
Smith's ignorance -- calling the vice principal "small minded" for singling
out "homoeroticism as more offensive than straight eroticism."

Nada Surf could have easily (and perhaps more profitably) defended the
heterosexual intent of their music WITHOUT ever defending homoeroticism.
 Instead, the band refused to ignore homophobia -- the principal vice.

    ***  Ac t i o n / O p t i o n s :    Remind Mr. Smith that school
administrators are supposed to foster understanding, not ignorance.  Contact:
 Leo Smith, Vice Principal, Bayonne High School, Bayonne, New Jersey, tel.
201-858-5900; copy complaints to the New Jersey Department of Education, 225
W. State Street, CN 500, Trenton, NJ 08625-0500, tel. 609-984-7454.  As
always, your correspondence can do double duty as "letters-to-the-editors" of
leading local newspapers; write to "The Record," 150 River Street,
Hackensack, NJ 07602, fax 201-646-4135 and the "Newark Star-Ledger,"
Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07101, fax 201-643-7248.

    Supportive feedback should be sent to Nada Surf, c/o Elektra Records, 345
N Maple Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210-3827, tel. 310-288-3800.  Web browsers
can access "The Official Nada Surf Home Page"
(http://www.flotsam.com/~nadanet/) for band member bios, song lyrics, and
other fan information; e-mail [email-masked].

    To encourage MTV's coverage of issues largely ignored by other news
outlets, contact Judy McGrath, President, MTV Networks, 1515 Broadway, New
York, NY 10036, tel. 212-258-8712, e-mail [email-masked].

    ***  R e / S o u r c e s :    Various artists and activists are working
to combat the larger, on-going problem of popular music censorship.  The
Massachusetts Music Industry Coalition (Mass. M.I.C.) has joined forces with
Rock Out Censorship and Rock & Rap Confidential, setting up a web site and
petition drive to "support all artist's right to create music and all
individual's right to choose the music they will listen to."  The organizers
encourage politicians and other would-be censors "to make more beneficial and
positive use of their time, money, and power by striving for better
opportunities, education, and support for young people."  Contact:  Mass.
M.I.C., P.O. Box 333, Leominster, MA 01453, tel. 508-537-1669, e-mail
[email-masked],  http://www.ultranet.com/~crowleyn/mmic.html.

    An effective (and exceptional) new tool for combating homophobia in the
classroom is "It's Elementary:  Talking About Gay Issues in School."  This
film by Debra Chasnoff and Helen Cohen recently won "Best Documentary" at the
San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and -- thanks to
limited theatrical release -- has also qualified for Academy Award
consideration (if won, the Oscar would be Chasnoff's second!).  Contact:
 Women's Educational Media, 2180 Bryant Street, Suite 203, San Francisco, CA
94110, tel. 415-641-4616, fax 415-641-4632, e-mail [email-masked].

[ 2 ]

G O O F Y    B O Y C O T T

Various conservative groups continue to mount a boycott campaign against the
Walt Disney Company.  Indicted for corruption of culture, Disney stands
accused of promoting pedophilia, promiscuity, profanity and, of course,
homosexuality . . . .  the standard litany of fundamentalist fears.

The boycott was effectively launched in June, when the Southern Baptist
Convention (SBC) officially advised its 16 million members to abstain from
"the Walt Disney Company's theme parks, films, toys -- all things Disney"
["AFA Action Alert!," July 1996].  Since then, the boycott's goals and gripes
have been endorsed by most major figures on the "Religious Right."  The
Assemblies of God churches and the Family Research Council are among the
latest to follow suit.

Leading the boycott's propaganda effort is the American Family Association
(AFA), a self-identified "Christian organization promoting the Biblical ethic
of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV and other media."
 According to AFA president Donald Wildmon, Disney ranks "among the top ten
sponsors of television programs promoting the homosexual agenda."  Moreover,
Wildmon complains:  "Disney takes its flirtation with the homosexual
community well beyond the TV screen.  The company's theme parks are used as
gathering places for national homosexual celebrations, while internally
Disney offers insurance coverage to homosexual couples living together."

The August issue of Wildmon's "AFA Journal" continues the attack.  In an
article titled "Families Shocked By Homosexual Celebration at Magic Kingdom,"
the magazine reports:  "The 1996 'Gay Day at Disney' celebration provided few
surprises for those who have watched the infamous gathering over the years.
 But for the unsuspecting families who happened into the lair of depravity,
shock would be an understatement, according to Rusty Pugh, an AFA reporter
who witnessed this year's event.  Pugh said he saw several families
crestfallen as they entered the Magic Kingdom and found themselves surrounded
by male and female homosexuals displaying their affections and stereotypical
'gay' attitudes."

Previously, the AFA has lambasted Disney for producing sexually-perverse
films ("Priest," "Powder"), publishing books about homosexual youth and
transvestites ("Growing Up Gay," "Lettin' It All Hang Out"), and hiding
salacious content in children's cartoons.  Among the AFA's claims:  "An
actual phone sex line" can bee seen on screen in "The Santa Clause," the word
"sex" is "spelled out in dust against the sky" in "The Lion King," Donald
Duck uses the "F" word in one of his cartoons, and "a phallic symbol" appears
in the cover art for the videotape of "The Little Mermaid."

Last month, the AFA began distributing recorded public service announcements
to more than 1000 "Christian" radio stations, urging listeners to support the
boycott.  One spot proclaims:  "We must show Disney that families are tired
of a place where molesters and lesbians are hired to make films and movies
that say it's OK to go against morals and grow up gay."

The AFA has also "printed 500,000 postcards, which churches can purchase for
a nominal fee."  Wildmon estimates "that the group eventually will distribute
as many as two million copies to conservative Christian denominations who
want to make their feelings known to Disney" ["Los Angeles Times," July 2].

A few mainstream journalists are hinting that Disney might be buckling under
the bigots' weight.  For example, the "Chicago Sun-Times" [July 13] reported
that "a theologian-educator has been named to the Disney Company's board of
directors, shortly after Southern Baptists and other religious conservatives
accused the company of adopting 'anti-family and anti-Christian' positions."
 And when Disney scraped plans to produce a film version of "The Dreyfus
Affair" (a novel featuring gay romance between two major-league baseball
players), "Entertainment Weekly" [August 9] observed:  "If Disney's 180 was
politically motivated, it wouldn't be a shock.  Mouse execs are getting flak
from right wingers for extending gay-partner benefits to employees; in
addition, Disney is part owner of the California Angels, and major league
baseball comes off as the story's villain."

Other journalists seem more inclined to agree with Disney's Michael Eisner,
who has deemed the boycott "foolish" and doomed to failure.  "Disney's reach
as the world's largest entertainment company, with one of the best-known
brand names worldwide and a stake in virtually every form of media that
exists today, makes it almost immune to the pressures of a boycott," says
Christine Shenot, staff writer for the "Orlando Sentinel."  The company's
media holdings are so vast, in fact, that many of its ventures (e.g., "All My
Children," ESPN, "Nightline," Miramax) are not even recognized as Disney
products.  "For Baptists who live in Fort Worth, Texas," Shenot notes, "a
boycott would mean not reading the city's daily newspaper, 'The Fort Worth
Star-Telegram,' which Disney now owns."

"San Francisco Examiner" columnist Rob Morse makes a similar point.
 "Southern Baptists have to stop watching 'Roseanne' on Disney-owned ABC,
renting Disney-licensed 'Winnie-the-Pooh' videos, watching quality movies
from Touchstone and Miramax, eating at McDonald's, a Disney business partner,
and visiting Disney theme parks," Morse observes.  "It's a little like trying
to boycott nitrogen."

Not unexpectedly, the boycott has also been widely rebuffed within the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.  Activists and
journalists alike have urged a counter-wave of support for Disney.

Supporting besieged companies certainly seems like a reasonable tack.
 However, familiar strategies might well be re-examined in an era of
unprecedented media mergers.  Danny Schechter, a producer for Globalvision,
poses the question:  "In this era of Mickey Mouse and Westinghouse, when six
or seven giant monopolies are poised to dominate the entire mediascape, what
are those of us concerned with democracy to do?  How do progressives fight
back?"

If Disney IS immune to Right Wing boycotts -- as Eisner, Shenot, Morse and
others suggest -- then can ANY community effort, whether derisive or
supportive, make a significant difference?  Even more to the point:  In
seeking to empower over-concentrated media monopolies, are we ultimately
securing our own powerlessness?

Absent from the various calls to "support Disney!" has been any direct
acknowledgment of the problems posed by unfettered media concentration (and
epitomized by Walt Disney, Inc.).  Yet, as media critic Mark Crispin Miller
notes, such monopolistic excess and over-concentrated power "is itself the
problem, and an unprecedented threat to our democracy."

"In fact," Miller argues, "the Right has managed to PROTECT the corporate
power behind the media, precisely through that great pretense at caring
passionately about 'family values,' etc.  There is no real conflict between
those demagogues and the monopolists (indeed, certain of those demagogues,
like Pat Robertson, are would-be monopolists themselves)."  According to
Miller:  "The Right wants just to demonize the media, not demonopolize them."

Perhaps the best way to "support" monopolies like Disney is not so much to
stand up FOR them, but invite them to stand clearly WITH us.  For whatever
their size or stature, media companies should join the lesbian and gay
community in standing AGAINST homophobia.  It is only the right thing to do.

    ***  A c t i o n / O p t i o n s :    To monitor and challenge AFA
efforts, request a FREE "trial" subscription to the "AFA Journal" (tel.
601-844-5036); contact Donald Wildmon, President, American Family
Association, P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, tel. 601-844-5036, fax
601-844-9176.  Feedback for Disney should be directed to Michael Eisner,
Chair, The Walt Disney Company, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA
91521-1010, tel. 818-560-2413 (recorded comments) or 818-560-1000, fax
818-560-1930, http://www.disney.com/Mail.

    ***  R e / S o u r c e s :    Media monopolies are among the vital issues
examined in "Media & Democracy:  A Book of Readings and Resources."  Edited
by Don Hazen and Larry Smith, the anthology is distributed by the Institute
for Alternative Journalism (IAJ); included are articles by Mark Crispin
Miller ("Demonopolize Them!:  A Call For A Broad-Based Movement Against The
Media Trust") and Danny Schechter ("Making Media Work:  Why We Must Get
Beyond Disneyland Journalism").  IAJ is a nonprofit organization, founded in
1983 "to be an advocate for diversity of news opinions and analysis within
media."  Contact:  IAJ/Alternet, 77 Federal Street, San Francisco, CA 94107,
tel. 415-284-1420, fax 415-284-1414, e-mail [email-masked], e-mail
http://www.alternet.org/an/.

    The "Media Concentration Campaign" is a recently-formed working group,
dedicated to planning "a national public education campaign to fight media
concentration....  providing information and education, along with actions
the public can take to protest media mergers."  To become involved or request
more information, contact:  Laurie Ouellette, Media Concentration Campaign
Group, 198 Suffolk Street, # 3 D, New York, NY 10002, tel./fax 212-979-5085,
e-mail [email-masked].

    According to Rob Morse, the Southern Baptists "have been on the losing
side of other social issues.  They split off from northern Baptists before
the Civil War over the issue of whether slave owners could be missionaries.
 They were all-white until 1951.  Even now their denominations are about 97
percent white."  Contact:  Morris H. Chapman, President, Southern Baptist
Convention, fax 615-742-8919, e-mail [email-masked];  Rob Morse,
"San Francisco Examiner," 110 5th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel.
415-777-2424, e-mail [email-masked].

    For additional background on the evolution of the Disney boycott, see
"The Tragic Kingdom" [MediAlert!, December 4, 1995] and "Disney Drag"
[MediAlert!, April 28, 1996].

[End of column text, part A.  Continued in "MediAlert!/BRIEFS," part B]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT MEDIALERTS

"MediAlert!" [TM] is a biweekly, activist-oriented column of media criticism,
focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues.

Since 1992, this community service has been distributed, on request, by
e-mail, fax or U.S. mail.  Recipients may print, publish or post this
material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior
permission.  When appropriate, attribution may be made to "Al Kielwasser"
and/or "MediAlert."  File copies of publications using all or part of
"MediAlert!" are appreciated.

Some current and back issues of "MediAlert!" are available online, through
the Queer Resources Directory (http://www.qrd.org/qrd/media/medialert/) and
the news section of AOL's "Gay & Lesbian Community Forum" (keyword: GLCF).

Next "MediAlert!"  =  September 1, 1996  [N.B.:  Due to technical
transitions, some e-mail recipients were inadvertently removed from the
distribution list during the past month.  This problem has been corrected]

Contact:  "MediAlert!," 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835,
voice-mail 415-826-5203,  fax 415-826-5203 (ext. 8), e-mail
[email-masked].

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHOR NOTES

Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York:
 Haworth Press).  He has taught a wide range of courses and workshops in
media theory and practice, and his research appears in the "Journal of
American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture,"
"Feedback: The Journal of the Broadcast Education Association," "The High
School Journal," "Critical Studies in Mass Communication," and other
publications; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.

        ______________________________________________

            Shape the forces that shape our society . . .
            challenge homophobia in and through the media!
        _______________________________________________

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 1996 02:32:35 -0400
Subject: MediAlert!/BRIEFS, Aug. 18-31 [B]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX:  "MediAlert!/BRIEFS" for 18 August 96  [Please Note that "MediAlert!"
(Part A) has been distributed separately].

-Item 1: "Critical Mess" [Talking Pictures; Siskel & Ebert; Stonewall].
-Item 2: "Work It, Girl!" [When Democracy Works video Project].
-Item 3: "Special Writes" [YouthArts Project; Patricia Nell Warren].
-Item 4: "Daily, Weakly" [The Daily Show; Comedy Central; Jeffrey Dion
Burton].
-Item 5: "Radio Activism" [CounterSprin; Adopt-A-Station; FAIR].
-Item 6: "MediAmericans" [Media Education Foundation; National Media Literacy
Conference].
-Item 7: "Web Watch" [Cultural Studies Center].

-General Information [about MediAlerts; author notes].
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

        M  e  d  i  A  l   e  r  t  !   /   B  R  I  E  F S
        ____________________________________

        August 18 - 31,  1996         Al Kielwasser

[1]

***  CRITICAL MESS . . . .    Jan Wahl is a local film critic, who appears
regularly and prominently on two San Francisco television stations (Bay TV
and KRON).  Most recently [August 3], Wahl examined "Stonewall" -- a new
feature film set amidst the birth pangs of the modern U.S. "gay rights"
movement.  While generally pleased with "Stonewall," Wahl concluded her
review with a pointed admonition that the film was "for adults only."

By way of contrast, the nationally-syndicated "Siskel & Ebert" [August 3]
offered opposing reviews of "Stonewall."  Though Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert
disagreed on the film, neither critic felt compelled to offer an "adults
only" recommendation.

While not overtly homophobic, Wahl's advice -- offered without explanation or
elaboration -- echoes those bigots who would sequester children from ANYTHING
lesbian or gay.  In the media mainstream, homosexuality is habitually treated
as "mature subject matter."  This practice is both stupid and mean; it not
only fails to account for significant differences in treatment of content,
but is utterly indifferent to the media needs and interests of lesbian, gay
and bisexual youth.

Minority-themed films -- such as "Stonewall," "Malcom X," and "Schindler's
List" -- are often "recommended for mature audiences."  However, the critics
who routinely make these recommendations seldom (if ever) suggest ANY
alternative features that ARE "appropriate for children" yet still deal with
similar histories.

If such films DO exist, they should be as widely reviewed and publicized as
other youth-oriented fare.  If such films DO NOT exist, then their very
absence ought to be a subject of immense critical concern.  This stunning
situation seems to escape the attention of most mainstream critics, however
-- even as they repeatedly single out lesbian- and gay-themed films "for
adults only."

 C o n t a c t :  Jan Wahl, "Talking Pictures," KRON-TV, P.O. Box 3412, San
Francisco, CA 94119, tel. 415-441-4444, http://www.kron.com/; "Stonewall," a
film by Nigel Finch, is distributed by Strand Releasing
(http://www.strandrel.com).

[2]

***  WORK IT, GIRL ! . . . .    "When Democracy Works" is a new training
video, exploring "the rise of radical right wing forces in the US and some
forms of effective grassroots resistance to their anti-democratic agenda."
 According to producer/director Catherine Saalfield:  "The video is
accessible, interesting, brief (30 minutes), and is distributed with an
accompanying Resource Packet that provides an array of useful material for
further study."  The tape is now being distributed through a network of
various organizations (including the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force);
Saalfield is also seeking "organizations or individuals who are interested in
purchasing the tape, contributing money or otherwise helping the grassroots
distribution effort."

    C o n t a c t :  Dawn Martin, Distribution Director, When Democracy Works
Video Project, tel. 212-330-8220, fax 212-274-0551, e-mail [email-masked].

[3]

***  SPECIAL WRITES . . . .    Patricia Nell Warren -- noted novelist ("The
Front Runner") and syndicated columnist ("News You Didn't See On TV") -- is
also the publisher of an innovative online venture:  The YouthArts Project
(YAP).

"A small group of us have been supporting gifted gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender and questioning youth for a year now, by providing a web space
where they can publish poetry, art, photography, graphics, commentary, etc.
and actually be part of the publishing process," Warren explains.  "We have
workshops where local kids can learn about the Web, html and graphics
programs, and be part of designing and posting their own pages."

In addition to Warren, the nonprofit project is co-published by John
Waiblinger and Darin Weeks.  Currently, YAP exists in two editions --
"YouthArts East" (http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~lgba/youtharts) and "YouthArts
West" (http://www.qcc.org/yap).

Recent additions to "YouthArts West" include a section for African-American
poets, excerpts from significant youth publications (e.g., Hillary Carlip's
bestselling book, "Girl Power"), and a column devoted to queercore music.
 Meanwhile, "YouthArts East" has "moved into cutting-edge investigative
reporting" (e.g., Paul Lukasiak's report on the horrors of school-based ROTC
programs).

YAP has also gotten "in the face of the Justice Department about CDA
censorship on the Internet."  According to the publishers:  "Three of the
four youth affidavits filed with the federal district court, in this case
affecting millions of young people, were YouthArts voices....  Their
affidavits, posted on 'YouthArts West,' are searing statements of the need
for youth free speech."

    C o n t a c t :  Patricia Nell Warren (e-mail [email-masked]), John
Waiblinger (e-mail [email-masked]) and Darin Weeks (e-mail
[email-masked]), YouthArts Project, Wildcat Press, 8306 Wilshire Blvd., Box
8306, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, tel. 213-966-2466, fax 213-966-2467,
http://www.gaywired.com/wildcat/wildcat.htm.

[4]

***  DAILY, WEAKLY . . . .    Comedy Central's "Daily Show" intends to be
something of a liberal antidote to Rush Limbaugh.  When it comes to
homosexuality, however, the new series is (so far) something
less-than-progressive.  The July 25 episode, for example, ridiculed Jeffrey
Dion Bruton, a high school P.E. who -- on his own time -- also worked in "gay
pornography."  The tone was decidedly more mean- than high-spirited.

Though Burton had apparently committed no other "crime" than acting in gay
videos, the program facetiously "honored" him with a "Golden Apple Award For
Excellence In Education."  The "Daily Show" host opined:  "We salute you.
 Survey says:  Sleaze ball!"

    C o n t a c t :  "The Daily Show," Comedy Central, 1775 Broadway, New
York, NY 10019, tel. 212767-8647.

[5]

***  RADIO ACTIVISM . . . .    "CounterSpin" -- a weekly, half-hour radio
program from the progressive media-watch group FAIR -- is now available
online, on RealAudio (www.webactive.com).  Web browsers can pick up a
RealAudio Player from www.realaudio.com.

The series can still be heard on over 90 non-commercial (mostly public,
community or college) radio stations, as well.  As FAIR reports, however,
many of the radio stations carrying "CounterSpin" are facing funding cutbacks
from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

"If no station in your broadcast market airs 'CounterSpin,' urge them to do
so," FAIR asks.  "The series is available to stations via satellite or tape."
 FAIR is also seeking media activists and other individuals who can "adopt a
station," by paying the cost of getting "CounterSpin" to that radio station.

    C o n t a c t :  Sam Husseini, Activist Coordinator, Fairness & Accuracy
In Reporting, 130 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001, tel. 212-633-6700
(ext. 309), fax 212-727-7668, e-mail [email-masked],
 http://www.fair.org/fair/.   For general information on FAIR, you can also
send a blank e-mail message to [email-masked]; e-mailing
[email-masked] gets you a listing of radio stations that currently
broadcast "CounterSpin."

[6]

***  MEDIAMERICANS . . . .    The Media Education Foundation (MEF) is "a
non-profit organization, devoted to producing educational materials that
highlight the important role that the media play in the lives of all
Americans.  Believing that an educated citizenry is the key to ensuring a
vibrant democracy, MEF is committed to ensuring the spread of media
literacy."  The foundation will host the 1996 National Media Literacy
Conference, October 3 - 6, in Los Angeles.

    C o n t a c t :  Media Education Foundation, 26 Center Street,
Northampton, MA 01060, e-mail [email-masked].

[7]

***  WEB WATCH . . . .    Sarah Zupko's "Cultural Studies Center"
(http://www.mcs.net/~zupko/popcult.htm) promises "a comprehensive guide to
online resources in the fields of cultural studies, pop culture analysis, and
mass communication theory."  The new web site is "aimed at cultural studies
and mass communication researchers, as well as popular culture enthusiasts,"
says Zupko.  "Included are papers/articles, journals, calls for papers,
conference announcements, and links to information about theorists and
critics.  Future developments will include a new online cultural studies
journal, with original and reprinted articles."

Among the references (and researchers) currently located at the site:  "The
Construction of Identity in 'Out' Magazine" (Patrick Flumignan), "On Global
Queering" (Dennis Altman), "Queer Film in East Asia" (Chris Berry), and "Do
Ask, Do Tell: Freak Talk On TV" (Joshua Gamson).

    C o n t a c t :  Sarah J. Zupko, Cultural Studies Center, e-mail
[email-masked],  http://www.mcs.net/~zupko/popcult.htm.

[End of column text, pt. B.  Continued in "MediAlert!," Aug. 18, pt. A]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT MEDIALERTS

"MediAlert!" [TM] is a biweekly, activist-oriented column of media criticism,
focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues.

Since 1992, this community service has been distributed, on request, by
e-mail, fax or U.S. mail.  Recipients may print, publish or post this
material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior
permission.  When appropriate, attribution may be made to "Al Kielwasser"
and/or "MediAlert."  File copies of publications using all or part of
"MediAlert!" are appreciated.

Some current and back issues of "MediAlert!" are available online, through
the Queer Resources Directory (http://www.qrd.org/qrd/media/medialert/) and
the news section of AOL's "Gay & Lesbian Community Forum" (keyword: GLCF).

Next "MediAlert!"  =  September 1, 1996  [N.B.:  Due to technical
transitions, some e-mail recipients were inadvertently removed from the
distribution list during the past month.  This problem has been corrected]

Contact:  "MediAlert!," 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835,
voice-mail 415-826-5203,  fax 415-826-5203 (ext. 8), e-mail
[email-masked].

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHOR NOTES

Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York:
 Haworth Press).  He has taught a wide range of courses and workshops in
media theory and practice, and his research appears in the "Journal of
American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture,"
"Feedback: The Journal of the Broadcast Education Association," "The High
School Journal," "Critical Studies in Mass Communication," and other
publications; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.

        ______________________________________________

            Shape the forces that shape our society . . .
            challenge homophobia in and through the media!
        _______________________________________________