Australian newspaper makes second apology attempt after calling murdered trans w

[Lara the Lover and the Fighter]

Australian newspaper makes second apology attempt after calling murdered trans woman 'she-male'

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/10/27/australian-newspaper-makes-second-apology-attempt-after-calling-murdered-trans-woman-she-male/

A newspaper in Australia which came under heavy criticism for describing the transgender victim of a brutal murder as "she-male" has once again attempted to apologise.
Earlier this month, the front page of the Brisbane paper, the Courier-Mail today, described transgender murder victim Mayang Prasetyo using the derogatory term.
The headline of the News-Corp paper read: "Monster chef and the she-male".
After a petition gathered nearly 22,000  signatures, the paper issued a half-hearted apology just a few days later, saying it had "no intention of diminishing the value of Mayang's life."
CourierCover->-bleeped-<-

The front cover of the Courier Mail
The Brisbane paper has now once again apologised for causing "unintentional" offence.
In an editorial on page 62, the paper said it had only run the same story as every other paper, and that the victim's mother never expressed offence.
The statement read: "Every mainstream media outlet in Queensland had published identical facts about Mayang and her killer's gender and profession as well as the same pictures.
"We responded at the time, restating that Mayang was the innocent victim of a dreadful crime, and that publication of the details of her life and murder were never in any way intended to disrespect her or upset her family.
"Her mother, who we were in contact with, through the week never expressed offense.
"In our reporting, we never intended to offend any member of the community. Clearly the coverage did, unintentionally, offend the LGBT community and others, and for that the newspaper is sorry."

[Pikachu]

Oh, I'm sure they're so sorry. *huge eye roll*

If they aren't going to issue a sincere apology, they should just shut up.

[Lara the Lover and the Fighter]

Agreed Pikachu!!

[Blue Senpai]

I swear, the world is so hostile to us...

[Athena]

I am curious does the Courier-Mail often use hateful language. If so I don't think that they should ever be forgiven as their apology means nothing even if they put one out that seems sincere.

[Jaime R D]

Well, they aren't going to just come right out and say "hey, we're sorry y'all got pissed and complained, we're just doing our damnedest to make a buck off of human cruelty." 

[Jess42]

WOW. Really? She-male in the press. That is a really insensitive way to write about a murdered woman. Everyone should be fired from the reporter to the editor. No apologies. They should have known. Someone was murdered, why not research some of the terms that are acceptable. Transwoman for me would have been fully acceptable. Just a little bit of research, isn't that what reporters are supposed to do anyway?

[Pikachu]

Well, they aren't going to just come right out and say "hey, we're sorry y'all got pissed and complained, we're just doing our damnedest to make a buck off of human cruelty."

But we all know that's what they're thinking when they trot out the old, "We didn't intend any offense or to diminish anyone's experience by crafting sensationalist headlines and using disrespectful language." I guess I just don't understand why they bother with these obviously fake apologies. Are they really fooling anyone?

[Jaime R D]

But we all know that's what they're thinking when they trot out the old, "We didn't intend any offense or to diminish anyone's experience by crafting sensationalist headlines and using disrespectful language." I guess I just don't understand why they bother with these obviously fake apologies. Are they really fooling anyone?

Themselves?     They take calculated risks with some things in hope that the group they tick off won't be too vocal or have much ability to do anything about it. They'll likely continue to do so.

[Athena]

With nut-wing papers, they like controversy like this. Their target audience already agrees with them, they offer an off handed apology then they play the victim when it isn't accepted. They loose very little if anything at all and they get their name out there, I mean how many outside of Australia has even heard of this paper before.

When people all around the world check out the paper to see what they wrote then they can uses those inflated numbers as their "readership" to present to advertisers.

[Jo-is-amazing]

It is...rather unfortunately my local paper. That being said it is widely viewed as trashy and sensational and is written to what appears to be an audience of infants or at least people as clever as infants.

It's not really out of character for it to cause offence but generally it's not that offensive. Its just a terrible newspaper that's being run out of business and is lashing out.

Although funny story, the editor responsible for that disgrace of a headline is actually my tutor for one of my journalism subjects.

I'm not out at uni but we had to use news reports in this assignment and one of the guys said he was going to write an essay on that and how offensive and insensitive the headline was.

Anthony (the tutor)  than began a 15 Min self defending rant, saying it wasn't really offensive, and "real" trans people weren't offended by it. He then went on to say that it was witty and clever among other things such as suggesting the public was too politically correct and didn't actually feel that way. So normal News Corp bs.

I stormed out of the class..
I kinda wish I'd said something though but I figured I was too angry to actually make words so I just left

Ps I don't know if he was the one who wrote it, but he is an editor for the Courier mail and was defending it in an offensive and insensitive way...also he mentioned in the past that he often does headlines, so I put two and two together, I may be mistaken though

[Delsorou]

So here's a question.  If a black person had been killed and they reported it with n***** in the headline, would they have that half assed of an apology?

No one was complaining about the facts of the story, the issue and insult is the use of a hateful slur!  WTF?!

[Pikachu]

Oh, I'm sure they would use a headline like that, too, if they thought they could get away with it.

[Delsorou]

I'm going to see if there's a way I can sneak this into the TDOR proceedings we are planning here... this is outrageous.

[Jess42]

So here's a question.  If a black person had been killed and they reported it with n***** in the headline, would they have that half assed of an apology?

No one was complaining about the facts of the story, the issue and insult is the use of a hateful slur!  WTF?!

In the US the paper would be dead already using that slur. Australia, I'm really not sure though. But regardless. I don't really mind the S word because most people that use it are ignorant and the only place they see or even experience transgenders is usually in private on some rather explicit web sights because they are secretly attracted to transwomen. Oh don't give me the BS of curiosity. It is not being curious because a lot of us have the same thing as they do. I don't believe that there is anything curious about it other than they may be trans themselves or attracted to transwomen.

But all it takes is a little research to find that slur about us is as insulting as the "C" word is to women, The "B" word to women the "N" word to blacks, the "F" word to gays and so on. Hell this sight shows up when you do a google search of transgender. You can't tell me Brisbane don't have access to google. On this sight the reporter could see just how insulting that word is to us. Not that much to me because I really understand that most people are ignorant and get that word from one place which kind of makes me wonder. HMM... And being the wondering genius that I am, I know where they get that word. My deduction is that they are attracted but don't know any of us personally but we can fill minds with fantasies.

To any Mods if this post is too graphic feel free to remove it. Sorry in the first place to be so blunt.

[Marcellow]

Follow-up to this story

Funeral held for transgender woman murdered by husband in Australia
Source: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/01/funeral-held-for-transgender-woman-murdered-by-husband-in-australia/
Author: Nick Duffy
Posted: Nov 1st, 2014 @ 5:14 PM

"An Indonesian transgender woman who was brutally murdered and dismembered by her own husband has finally been laid to rest."