From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 02:08:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: "MEDIAlert!" - June 30, 1997 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" - 6.30.97 -ITEM 1: "Look Who's Talking" [CNN & Company; MSNBC; Disney]. -ITEM 2: "Oh, Boycott" [Southern Baptists; Disney; Newsweek; UPI; GLAAD; NGLTF; National Hispanic Media Coalition; Americans for Democratic Action]. -ITEMS 3 to 6: "Media Briefs" [California Dept. of Justice; The Drefus Affair; Rupert Everett; My Best Friend's Wedding; P.S. I Love You; Asian American International Film Festival; HIV InSite]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! _________________________ June 30, 1997 Al Kielwasser [1] L O O K W H O ' S T A L K I N G On June 18, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting launched a sweeping boycott against the Walt Disney company, urging their 15+ million members to protest Disney's "promotion of homosexuality." The boycott effort has received wide-spread media coverage, and provided immediate fodder for "news-talk" reviews on both the CNN and MSNBC networks. "CNN & Company" (June 18) included a brief segment on the boycott, consisting of a discussion amongst several regular panelists -- none of whom were openly gay or lesbian. Unfortunately, the host framed the debate with a misguided (and misleading) question: "Is Disney moving from family-friendly to gay-friendly?" Parroting the homophobic rhetoric of the Southern Baptists, such a question assumes a primary distinction between "gay" and "family" values. Consequently, the CNN panelists tended to treat "gay-friendly" programs as something that Disney offered IN ADDITION TO -- rather than AS PART OF -- the company's "family-friendly" fare. CNN's rival network offered similarly disappointing coverage. On MSNBC (June 18), the "news chat" question-of-the-day asked if the Disney boycott was : "God's work or a Mickey Mouse protest?" In addition to audience calls and e-mail, a roundtable discussion featured three "MSNBC contributors" -- Lawrence O'Donnell (who was identified as a "former Congressional aid"), Rosemary Bray (a liberal staffer from "On The Issues" magazine), and Joseph Perkins (a conservative commentator). The "chat" was hosted by MSNBC anchor John Gibson. At his only high point, the host at least attempted to challenge one homophobic caller -- who complained that she would not want her children around "those kind of people." Gibson replied: "What do you mean, 'those kind of people?' 'Those kind of people' are around you everywhere." For the most part, however, Gibson seemed uninformed at best and dismissive at worst. Repeatedly, he urged callers as well as contributors to consider why "American parents" should have to "countenance a gay parade in front of their little kids." Gibson's apparent (and fallacious) assumption was that such parades are inherently 'adults-only" affairs. Moreover, the host never considered the rather relevant fact that not all "little kids" are (or will be) heterosexual. One angry MSNBC caller -- "Ruby" -- complained that, in reaction to the company's recent "pro-gay" actions, "Walt Disney would spin in his grave." In response, Gibson laughed aloud and replied: "Ruby, that's very funny...." Typical of journalism's tendency to dismiss homophobia as a "matter of opinion," Gibson's levity would be deemed an inappropriate response to other instances of bigotry. If "Ruby" been a neo-Nazi spewing about Hitler spinning in his grave, for example, it is likely that Gibson would have found the comment to be more caustic -- and NOT "very funny." Gibson's performance could be excused, however, IF the network had bothered to include even one openly lesbian or gay person amongst the three MSNBC panelists. Indeed -- whatever the news topic happens to be -- the network systematically fails to include lesbian, gay, or bisexual representatives among its roster of regular "MSNBC contributors." Though attempting to include a balance of "pro," "con" and "neutral" perspectives, this Disney discussion repeatedly missed key points that a lesbian or gay commentator would probably have raised. Without challenge, for example, MSNBC contributor Lawrence O'Donnell warned of "a very serious problem" -- that unsuspecting parents might bring their children to Disneyland on "Gay Day." Expectedly, conservative commentator Joseph Perkins ranted in support of the boycott, arguing that homosexuality is not "morally equivalent" to homosexuality. Yet, throughout the discussion, no one directly or seriously raised the issue of homophobia per se. Rosemary Bary (the "liberal" in the group) did come close, however. Bary not only opposed the boycott but chastised the Southern Baptists for "trying to marginalize a group of people who are citizens [of this country]." Furthermore, she suggested that -- rather than any Gay Day at Disneyland -- the way Baptists raise their children is really "offensive." While hardly the worst, both MSNBC and CNN did far less than their best. Consistently -- in their "news-talk" coverage of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues -- these networks have failed to include lesbian, gay or bisexual "news talkers." *** ACTION ALERT! Encourage MSNBC and CNN to add openly lesbian, gay and bisexual contributors to their roster of panelists and contributors (especially when the issue at hand concerns homosexuality or homophobia). Contact: Cable News Network, 1 CNN Center, Atlanta, GA 30348-5466, tel. 404-827-1700, fax 404-737-3323, e-mail cnn.feedback@cnn.com; MSNBC, 2200 Fletcher Ave., Fort Lee, NJ 07024, tel. 888-MSNBC-USA, e-mail opinion@msnbc.com (additional feedback can be sent to MSNBC's contributing homophobe Joseph Perkins, in care of the network, or e-mail joseph.perkins@msnbc.com). [2] O H , B O Y C O T T As if following the media's coverage, much public reaction to the Disney boycott has been widespread -- yet not very "deep." Public opinion polls have led to some confusion, while the progressive community's support for Disney has been shallow at best, however well-intentioned. In a poll conducted by "Newsweek" (June 30), less than a third of those surveyed -- 29 percent -- indicated they could support the boycott. In its interpretation of these results, United Press International (June 21) suggested that "few Americans agree with the Southern Baptist church's criticism of the Disney Company's policy toward gays." According to UPI: "The church declared war on Disney, a company that has long supported the rights of its gay employees. But the 'Newsweek' poll shows few Americans agree with the church's beliefs." UPI's slant is not just simplistic; it's simply wrong. In fact, Disney was one of the LAST studios to extend health benefits to same-sex partners -- and then only reluctantly. Disney's response to the boycott flap was also slightly less-than-admirable. The media frenzy provided Disney with an opportunity to affirm the value of (and need for) fair, accurate and diverse images of lesbians and gay men. The company COULD have challenged the pervasive rot of homophobic censorship, but instead choose to downplay -- and even duck -- the issue. When the boycott story broke, Disney spokespersons were oddly unavailable for comment. Instead, the company issued an indistinct, two-sentence statement: "We are very proud that Disney creates more family entertainment of every kind than anyone else in the world. We and we plan to continue our leadership role and, in fact, we will increase production of family entertainment." Sincere or not, Disney's response to other protests have been more forceful -- vowing to stand with this or that contingent. In this situation, by contrast, Disney did not offer any express support for the lesbian and gay community. Typically, in fact, Disney did not even use the words "lesbian" or "gay." Ultimately, the futility of the Baptist's boycott has nothing to do with the "principle of the matter." Their effort will fail NOT because homophobia is small-minded, but because Disney is big business -- VERY big business. In a story for Reuters (June 19), for example, Jerry Dubrowski observed: "When it comes to Walt Disney Co., there's no such thing as a small, small world.... In fact, it's virtually impossible to escape Disney's reach for long; which is why many experts wonder how much damage the boycott launched by Southern Baptists could do to Disney's $21 billion a year business." If the Baptist's are defeated, it will not be at the hands of "gay power." Rather, it is the unchecked power of over-concentrated media monopolies -- like Disney -- which can render lesbians and gays as POWERLESS as Southern Baptists. What's right about certain Disney programs or policies does not change what's wrong with monopolistic excess. Yet, community response in support of Disney tended toward a superficial call to "buy Disney!" As broad as the Baptist's boycott, this response not only overlooked the dangers of media monopolies, but utterly ignored a host of other progressive issues involving Disney, Inc. For example, the director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Joan Garry, advised "the American public" to "enjoy Disney's wealth of creativity and expressions of diversity, as they have for decades." "Disney should be recognized and applauded for its stance on domestic partnership," said Green, "and for treating their employees with dignity and respect." Kerry Lobel -- executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) -- also seemed to gloss a tad to thinly over Disney's perfect record. "Disney is modeling good citizenship and good citizenry through its policies, said Lobel. "Walt Disney and his characters taught us that it's a small world after all, where every person is welcome." One wonders what Lobel would say to Arab-American groups, who have found fault with certain portrayals in the Disney movie "Aladdin." Likewise, GLAAD's response hardly resonates with reports from Americans for Democratic Action, which suggest that "Disney exploits cheap labor overseas" (Associated Press, June 21). Both GLAAD and NGLTF poorly prefigured the response of certain Latino groups. Just a week after the Baptist boycott was announced, some 30 organizations launched a boycott of Disney, to protest the companies apparently racist hiring practices. Alex Nogales, chair of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), has charged that "fewer than 1% of those in creative and policy-making positions at Disney-ABC are Hispanic despite the fact that Latinos represent 42% of the population in Los Angeles County and 35% in California." In the strategic short-term, it seems, lesbian and gay organizations might find ways to support PARTICULAR media programs or policies -- without the GENERAL praise that appears to forget other problems and practices. If long-term success in media advocacy can be achieved, it will require that progressive communities work together to demonopolize the power that -- finally -- threatens us all. *** ACTION ALERT! The Institute for Alternative Journalism is one media advocacy group that has challenged the power of media monopolies; for more information; contact IAJ/Alternet, 77 Federal Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, tel. 415-284-1420, fax 415-284-1414, e-mail alternet@alternet.org, web-site www.alternet.org (or www.igc.apc.org/an/). Doing related work are the members of the Cultural Environment Movement; contact CEM, 3508 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104, e-mail cmbg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (or cem@libertynet.org), web-site ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~cmbg/cem/index/html. Additional contacts: National Hispanic Media Coalition, 3550 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 670, Los Angeles, CA 90010, tel. 213-385-8573, e-mail anogales@earthlink.net, web-site www.latinoweb.com/nhmc/; GLAAD, 8455 Beverly Blvd., Suite 305, Los Angeles, CA 90048, tel 213-658-6775, e-mail glaad@glaad.org; NGLTF, 2320 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009, tel. 202-332-6483, e-mail ngltf@ngltg.org. On the web, "Corporate Watch" [www.corpwatch.org] offers information on the condition of Disney workers in Haiti. Corporate Watch is project of the Transnational Resource and Action Center and the Institute for Global Communications. _________________________ M E D I A / B R I E F S [3] *** BROAD BASE . . . . Described as "one the most aggressive attempts yet to keep people informed of sex offenders in their midst," a new CD-ROM provides the names, addresses or photographs of "64,000 people in California who have committed a broad range of sex crimes since 1944" (Associated Press, July 1). The database is available for browsing at local police departments and other government offices. According to critics, the CD-ROM is ripe for misuse. "It's much too broad," says Michael McGlinn, an attorney for two men included in the new registry. One of McGlinn's clients is "a 63-year-old gay man arrested in the 1950s for having oral sex with another sailor in a parked car." California Attorney General Dan Lungren has "acknowledged that the CD-ROM contains outdated or incomplete information on thousands of the sex offenders." Lungren did not propose any remedies, however. C o n t a c t : Office of the Attorney General, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550, tel. 800-952-5225 or 916-322-3360, web-site www.ns.net/caag/; California Department of Justice, P. O. Box 903387, Sacramento, CA 94203-3870, tel. 916-227-3743. [4] *** COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . . According to "Variety" (June 19), "The Dreyfus Affair" -- Peter Lefcourt's 1992 novel about "a gay love affair between the shortstop and second baseman of a Major League Baseball team -- has been optioned by Fox for Betty Thomas to direct in a deal worth in the mid-six figures." If all goes well, Thomas could begin work on the film "sometime next year." Disney had originally optioned the long-anticipated project, but (amidst some controversy) opted not to make the film. As "Variety" reports: "While the studio was moving ahead on a sequel to 'Angels in the Outfield,' it nixed gays in the infield." In other movie news, "Variety's" (June 26) "Dish" columnist, Michael Fleming, reports that: "Rupert Everett, the dashing British actor who is a scene-stealer as Julia Roberts' gay best friend in TriStar's 'My Best Friend's Wedding,' is in talks to become Hollywood's first gay secret agent." According to Fleming, "sources said TriStar's near a deal to develop a vehicle for Everett to play a gay British intelligence officer. The openly gay actor pitched it to the studio and will co-write the action thriller with writing partner Mel Bordeaux." The film's working title is "P.S. I Love You." C o n t a c t : Robert Cooper, President, TriStar Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232; Rupert Murdoch, Chair, Fox, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10030, tel. 212-852-7000. [5] *** QUEER/ASIAN, FILM/FESTIVAL . . . . This year's Asian American International Film Festival, which begins its 20th season on July 18, will honor Arthur Dong with the "1997 Asian American Media Award." Dong's latest documentary -- "Licensed to Kill" -- is the third in a series on homosexuality and homophobia. His previous films include "Coming Out Under Fire" and "Outrage '69." The Asian American International Film Festival has become a leading exhibitor of films by Asians and Asian Americans. The annual festival premieres each summer in New York, and then begins a national tour. C o n t a c t : Asian CineVision, 32 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002, tel. 212-925-8685, fax 212-925-8127, e-mail AVCinNYC@aol.com. [6] *** INSITE-FULL . . . . The University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) has launched "HIV InSite." Billed as "the only website in existence that contains research written, edited and maintained by frontline AIDS researchers," the service features a state-by-state directory of information and resources -- encompassing medical, prevention, and social issues. Since its recent debut, "HIV InSite" has already metered over 200,000 hits [http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu]. [end 6.30.97] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS Distributed as a community press service since 1992, "MEDIAlert!" [TM] is an advocacy-oriented column of media criticism, 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. Contact: MEDIAlert!, 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; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area. From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 20:03:14 -0400 (EDT) Subject: e-mail errata ["MEDIAlert!" 6/30) Please note the following correction to the June 30, 1997 "MEDIAlert!" (Item 6) -- The contact information for the International Asian American Film Festival should read: Asian Cine-Vision, 32 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002-6820 Phone: (212)925-8685 Fax: (212)925-8157. The previous e-mail address, "AVCinNYC@aol.com," is no longer in service.