From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 09:05:27 -0400 (EDT) Subject: MEDIAlert! - 05.23.97 [Part "A"] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" - 05.23.97 [Part "A" ONLY] -ITEM 1: "Homocide" [Andrew Cunanan; AP; UPI; Reuters; N.Y. Times; S.F. Examiner; Jeffrey Dahmer; Murder, Violence & Homosexuality; Cruising; Millennium]. -ITEM 2: "Advice and Virtue" [Abigail Van Buren; Dear Abby; Ann Landers]. NOTE: Part "B" (MEDIA/BRIEFS) posted separately. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! _________________________ May 10 - 23 Al Kielwasser [1] H O M O C I D E The recent case of murder suspect Andrew Cunanan has resulted in widespread media coverage, which occasionally rises to the challenge -- but more often falls into the traps of homophobic bias. However rare, the emergence of a serial killer who happens to be gay is typically -- and literally -- "bad news." To date, most news accounts have strenuously played up Andrew Cunanan's "gay connection" -- that is, the suspect's possible homosexuality and his attacks on gay men. While these are certainly important and even objective facts, the emphasis given to this connection reveals a more subjective (and apparently phobic) spin. In describing Cunanan and his first two victims, for example, the Associated Press (May 10) reported: "The motive for [the] slaying was unclear... but apparently all three men knew each other and all were gay." As used here, the significance of "gayness" to the crime is not quite clear. When reporting on crime, the Associated Press does NOT identify heterosexuality in a similar fashion. Indeed, mainstream reporters would never think of indicating that a murderer and his victims "all knew each other, and all were STRAIGHT." In a later account, the Associated Press (May 14) fared slightly better -- leaving out the "gay" adjective, and simply describing Cunanan's victims as "a former lover and three other men." Similarly, "The New York Times" (May 14) reported that: "Madson and Cunanan, according to a fugitive warrant issued in Minnesota, had apparently been lovers." In contrast, United Press International (May 7) reported that: "Authorities in Chicago County, Minnesota, have filed one murder count against Cunanan, 33, in the death of Madson, who reportedly was his gay lover." The phrase "GAY lover" is utterly superfluous, as the gender of Cunanan and his victim had already been made clear. By far the worst use of the "gay" adjective came from Reuters, a leading international news service. According to Reuters' (May 10) lead: "A nationwide murder hunt for a Californian man suspected of killing two men in a gay lovers' quarrel as well as a wealthy businessman man in the Midwest switched to the East Coast Friday after the slaying of New Jersey caretaker." Reuters further described the murdered gay couple as "reputed" lovers, as if homosexuality were also a crime. The article even went on to speculate (in the apparent absence of any evidence) that the killing spree was triggered in "a fit of jealousy by Cunanan, who was believed to have been involved in a homosexual triangle with the two men." In the coverage of crime, such reporting panders to the incredible notion that homosexuality itself -- and NOT homophobia -- is dangerous and evil. Once again, it is worth noting that mainstream journalists NEVER refer to "straight lovers" or "straight triangles" when reporting on HETEROSEXUAL killing sprees. This bias has plagued the trade with particular tenacity. Well-over a decade ago, the authors of "Talk Back! - The Gay Person's Guide to Media Action" suggested: "If John Hinckley had declared that he tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan in order to demonstrate his love for Robert DeNiro instead of for Jodie Foster, his HOMOSEXUALITY would have been a major news angle to the story. As it is, no one refers to his HETEROSEXUALITY." The guidebook suggests that, as a general rule: "The press should either omit the homosexual/heterosexual adjective altogether, or else ROUTINELY use it in all cases -- at which point most readers would be shocked to see how numerous are 'heterosexual' crimes." With regard to the Cunanan case, a more subtle (and yet perhaps most significant) bias has emerged in the media's persistent attempt to situate the murderer at the heart of gay life, as a fixture -- if not a representative -- of urban homosexuality. News reports of Cunanan's presence in several major cities (San Diego, Chicago, New York, San Francisco) have routinely exaggerated his role as a "well-known" member of the "gay community." Covering the case for the Associated Press (May 10), for instance, reporter Dana Calvo began her story by noting: "Andrew Phillip Cunanan was a known quantity in San Diego's gay community, a 'party boy' who tapped a seemingly endless cash flow that he spent on lavish meals and extravagant gifts." The article concludes with a quote from "hairstylist David Dwayne," who said of Cunanan: "He danced a lot. He danced without his shirt -- you know the type. He was the typical party boy." In a follow-up story, the Associated Press (May 14) again reported that: "Acquaintances of Cunanan describe him as a 'party boy' known in San Diego's gay community for having lots of money but working only as a part-time drug store clerk." The article actually cites just ONE "acquaintance," however -- an anonymous "San Diego business owner who knows Cunanan." Writing for the "San Francisco Examiner" (May 15), reporters Ray Delgado and Anastasia Hendrix took a similar slant. According to their lead: "San Franciscans who knew the man being sought nationally for four murders described him as a 'larger than life' bon vivant in gay circles -- with a penchant for sadomasochism -- who mingled with a professional, well-educated crowd and had an uncanny ability to remember names." But just how many San Franciscan's did, in fact, know Cunanan? How large was this so-called "gay circle?" According to San Francisco homocide inspectors, of the city's vast homosexual population, "about 10 people" have reported any recent contact with Cunanan. Like "gay circles," the "Examiner's" reference to sadomasochism is also more suggestive than substantive -- and probably as (ir)relevant to this story as an aptitude for "remembering names." Nevertheless, several newspapers made a point of highlighting Cunanan's rumored "penchant." None offered any specific evidence to support their suggestion that, somehow, an interest in S&M had motivated these murders. However subtle, such unfounded suggestions resonate in a society predisposed to homophobia and heterosexism. Through popular fiction, the "gay serial killer" has appeared repeatedly, in movies like "Cruising" and the TV series "Millennium." The bias "whispered" in mainstream newspapers is also loudly echoed by Right Wing hate media. Citing misleading crime and mortality statistics, for example, a report from the American Family Association (April 1996) concludes: "There can be no doubt that the homosexual lifestyle is a dangerous one." Similar claims are made in "Murder, Violence and Homosexuality" -- one of several propaganda pamphlets circulated widely by the Family Research Institute. In many ways, the recent reporting on Andrew Cunanan is similar to another infamous case -- Jeffrey Dahmer. Examining the media's coverage of that 1991 case, sociologist Martha Schmidt has found that "the primary focus in the construction of the discourse on the case was homosexuality. Gayness and the gay and lesbian community were used by both police officials and the press to explain why the crimes had occurred." A homophobic emphasis on homosexuality -- focusing on the "gay lifestyle" of both Dahmer and his victims -- dominated media coverage right from the start. "In the mainstream press," says Schmidt, "his crimes were immediately defined as specifically gay crimes, as the result of either his own homosexuality or of the gay 'lifestyle' of his victims." Dahmer was portrayed not only as sick and evil, but as the "logical extension" of the homosexual "lifestyle." According to Schmidt, "This equation of Dahmer and the gay community resulted in an increase of homophobic harassment and violence." Conscious or not, the maintenance of homophobic bigotry depends upon a belief in, and fear of, the gay menace -- a sustained confusion between the particular (a homosexual who happens be dangerous) and the general (the "danger" of homosexuality). Given the depth and widespread force of such confusion, crime reporters MUST take special care in using the "homosexual adjective." These matters of style and slant are hardly small. In the most insidious ways, they reinforce a very "big lie." * * * ACTION ALERT! As newspapers continue to cover the Cunanan case (including any future arrest and trial), "Letters-to-the-Editors" can help to point out bias, suggest alternative slants, and generally insist that queer perspectives be taken into account. In addition to your local news media, send feedback to the major wire services: Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10020-1666, tel. 212-621-1600, fax 212-621-7520, e-mail rgersh@ap.org; United Press International, 2 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10005, tel. 212-560-1100; Reuters, 199 Water Street, New York, NY 10038, fax 212-859-1717, e-mail webmaster@reuters.com, web-site www.reuters.com. [ R e / S o u r c e s : "Talk Back! - The Gay Person's Guide to Media Action" (Boston: Alyson Publications, 1982) offers several tips for analyzing media bias, which -- though dated -- still apply. Related resources are available from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association, a professional organization dedicated to working "within the news industry for fair, accurate and comprehensive coverage of gay issues." Contact: NLGJA Headquarters, 1718 M Street NW, #245, Washington, DC 20036, tel. 202-588-9888, fax 202-588-1818, e-mail exeoffice@aol.com, web-site www.journalism.sfsu.edu/nlgja.html. Organizations exploiting a spurious connection between gays and crime include the American Family Association (the nation's largest anti-gay media watchdog group) and the Family Research Institute (a bogus project of defrocked psychologist Paul Cameron). Contact: American Family Association, P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, tel. 601-844-5036, fax 601-844-9176, e-mail afa@afa.net; Family Research Institute, P. O. Box 2091, Washington, DC 20013, tel. 703-690-8536. ] Martha Schmidt's article, "Dahmer Discourse and Gay Identity: The Paradox of Queer Politics," was published in a 1994 issue of "Critical Sociology" (Volume 20, Number 3). Contact: "Critical Sociology," Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403; Martha A. Schmidt, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701. Warnings about Andrew Cunanan have been widely distributed -- along with his picture -- in the lesbian/gay press; the basic details are also posted online, at the FBI's web site: www.fbi.gov/mostwant/tenlist.htm. [2] A D V I C E A N D V I R T U E For nearly four decades, two sisters -- Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren (aka "Dear Abby") -- have dominated the "advice" beat. Their ubiquitous columns are now read around the globe, exerting an unparalleled and influential counsel. By one estimate, Landers alone has reached some 90 million readers a day, making her the most widely-syndicated columnist in the world. In recent columns, both "Abby" and Ann offered advice to readers confronted by homophobia. Where Landers typified the dull and trite approach of too many advice columnists -- who literally have nothing to say -- a much brighter effort was made by Van Buren, who apparently knows how to listen. In her May 13 column, Van Buren printed a letter from an 11-year-old girl, who wrote: "I don't have a mother but I have 2 dads. My dad adopted me just after I turned 1 year old because my mother took drugs and didn't take care of me. My dad met his lover when I was 4, and we have lived together since I was 6." The young reader further explained: "The reason I am writing is for all the people who say bad things about my dad and me.... They ask me if it bothers me that I was adopted by a gay man and don't have a mom. Well, it doesn't bother me --- only their questions bother me. I love my dad and he loves me." "Some people say that living with my dad is going to make me gay, but his parents raised him to be straight and he isn't," the girl added. "He has never told me to like boys (or girls). He says when I am older I will feel love for somebody, just like he loves John, just like my godmother loves her husband and just like my uncle loves his wife." Finally, the girl concluded: "Abby, I know a lot of people read your column. Please print my letter so maybe people will think twice before they say hurtful things to people like me. Just because my family is a little different doesn't mean I'm not happy." Much to her credit, Van Buren did just that. In addition to printing the letter, Van Buren offered this short -- but sweet -- response: "Dear Happily Adopted, Thank you for a wonderful letter. There is an incredible amount of wisdom in that 11-year old head of yours." As for Ann Landers, her May 8 column included a letter from "a gay man who reads your column regularly." "Tom and I are in our 30s and have been partners for six years [and] Janet, Tom's sister, has invited me to her wedding," the man told Landers. "Tom's mother, however, sees this as strictly a family event and has told Tom that she would rather I not attend." The letter went on to explain: "I have always gotten along well with Tom's family, including his mother, so I am somewhat baffled by this.... Tom has told his mother her position is unreasonable, selfish and hurtful. He has assured her that we will be discreet and anyone who does not know me will assume that I am just another guy at the wedding. The rest of Tom's family agrees with us. Tom's mother, however, insists that her wishes be respected...." In conclusion, the troubled reader said: "I would love to attend Janet's wedding and be part of the celebration, but because his mother has made it known that she doesn't want me there, I'm not sure I should go. I really don't want to make her miserable on such an important day. I need your advice." Landers' reply was also short -- like Van Buren's -- but more simple-minded than sincere. She advised: "Dear Maryland, You have been invited to this wedding by the bride. This is HER day, and her wishes should prevail. By all means, go and be sure to ask Tom's mother to dance." At best, Landers responds to bigotry as if it were a question of etiquette, rather than hate. The bride's wishes should prevail NOT SIMPLY because it is "her day," but because she is RIGHT -- and homophobia is WRONG. Landers ignores (and tacitly supports) her reader's own INTERNALIZED homophobia. The gay man's promise to behave ("we will be discreet and anyone who does not know me will assume that I am just another guy at the wedding") is pathetic and unwarranted. Landers should have advised him of as much. Instead, she somehow manages to overlook the gross absurdity of a homosexual taking responsibility for "upsetting" homophobes ("I really don't want to make her miserable on such an important day"). Landers failed to point out that misery is a product of the homophobe's own ignorance -- a condition that is perpetuated by acts of "discretion." Indeed, to attend the wedding with honesty and pride -- as a gay man, and NOT "just another (heterosexual) guy" -- would be the only considered AND considerate thing to do. In her final word of advice -- "Be sure to ask Tom's mother to dance" -- Landers suggests that homosexuals should politely ignore homophobia. This advice would have been much better (and less patronizing) if Landers had added: "Be sure to ask your lover to dance, as well. And tell Tom's mother to get used to it." * * * ACTION ALERT! Landers and other well-intentioned columnists want to do better; they just need some good advice. Send suggestions to: Ann Landers, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., #7000, Los Angeles, CA 90045-5600. To encourage Van Buren's more-enlightened effort, compliments should be sent to: Abigail Van Buren, "Dear Abby," P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Both advice mavens can usually be contacted in care of any of the 1,000+ newspapers that carry their columns, as well (web browsers can access addresses at the Newslink site, www.newslink.org/news.html, which is searchable by newspaper name or location). [ R e / S o u r c e s : In contrast to her 1997 (May 8) column, Ann Landers wrote a 1995 (June 15) piece in which she told a 52-year-old gay father that he should keep his lover home when attending his own son's wedding. In the wake of what she described as an outpouring of "angry mail," however, Landers eventually offered a retraction. In an August 20 column, Landers admitted: "My advice was gutless. I should have said, 'Tell your son if your life companion is not welcome, you won't be there. He needs educating, and this could be an important first step.'" Her failure to give the same advice concerning "Tom's mother" suggests that Landers is haplessly forgetful -- or hopelessly insincere. Just last year (July 21, 1996), after all, Landers responded with blatant bigotry when a lesbian reader wrote seeking her support for same-sex marriage. "I define marriage as a union between a man and a woman," Landers drooled. "I cannot support same-sex marriage... because it flies in the face of cultural and traditional family life as we have known it for centuries." ] [end] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS Distributed as a community press service since 1992, "MEDIAlert!" [TM] is a bi-weekly, advocacy oriented column of media criticism, primarily focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. Recipients may print, publish or post this material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution can be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "MEDIAlert!" File copies of publications using all or part of any "MEDIAlert!" are always appreciated. Next "MEDIAlert!" = June 6, 1997. Contact: A. P. Kielwasser, MEDIAction, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203, e-mail mediaction@aol.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR NOTES Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York: Haworth Press). His media criticism and research has appeared widely, in both mainstream and academic publications (including the "Journal of American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture," and "Critical Studies in Mass Communication"); he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.