MEDIA MONITOR: Michigan media foul up transgender issues coverage
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=921by: Todd A. Heywood
Wednesday (02/27) at 20:37 PM
[COMMENTARY] We all have labels we attach to ourselves. It could be preppy, African-American or gay. Those self-imposed labels are a key aspect of a person's identity, and as members of the media, we have an obligation to reflect those choices. It becomes a matter of respect. And in general, the media do reflect those personal identifications, and as they change over time so do the media. For instance, it was common place for many years to use the term "colored" in reference to the African-American community. Now the media use the term black or African-American.
Unfortunately, not all categories of self-identification have received the same level of acceptance in the media.
In the last three weeks, Michigan has seen three sizable errors in the mainstream media in their coverage of transgender issues.
