Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 16:22:23 -0700 From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: Special GOP Convention GLAADAlert 08.13.96 GLAADALERT August 13, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -SPECIAL GOP CONVENTION ISSUE- Presto! San Diego Union-Tribune Makes Gay Community Disappear The gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and AIDS communities turned out in force in San Diego for the Republican National Convention, but you'd never know it by reading San Diego's main newspaper, the San Diego Union-Tribune. Staff writer Joe Cantlupe, in "Buchanan Urges 'Truce,' Sees No Need for 3rd Party," put protests at the Pat Buchanan rally on the front page. Yet by omitting the words "lesbian," "gay" or "AIDS," he ignored the fact that the entire demonstration was organized and conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in coalition with VOICES '96. GLAAD's Ann Northrop wondered "if Joe had been to the same demonstration as the rest of us." The Union-Tribune also ran no coverage of the huge gay rights march and rally during the first night of the convention. "We're concerned that the national and local media are not scrutinizing the Convention's packaged 'moderation' more carefully," said NGLTF Media Director Robert Bray. "They seem to be seduced by 'Lovefest '96,' and are not looking behind the scenes and in the back rooms to expose the real power and authority over these proceedings held by the Christian Coalition and other hard right groups. They are deaf to voices of opposition." Contact: Karin E. Winner, Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 191, San Diego, CA 92112, fax: 619.293.1896. TV or Not TV? Electronic Media Better, But Not Much Local television news has put the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and AIDS communities on the air. The late news all carried footage of Monday night's huge gay rights march and rally. KNSD-TV, Channel 39, the local NBC affiliate, included the rally in a wrap-up of the day's protests and added a substantial piece analyzing the positioning of the "Protest Site." But the NBC station mischaracterized the march as including "400 people," when there were in fact at least two thousand protesters. KNSD also calculated the number of groups involved with reductive arithmetic, lowering the actual coalition of 35 to a scant 15. KGTV-TV Channel 10 was even more grossly inaccurate. They covered the protests at Pat Buchanan's "Pitchfork Pass," but reported there were "more press at the event than protesters," despite over 300 activists in attendance. On the networks, lesbian and gay concerns were primarily confined to condescending "round-up" pieces. CNN's Bonnie Anderson was particularly dismissive of protesters, mocking GMHC's "Condom Man" rather than recognizing its mortally serious intent of inspiring AIDS awareness. Contact: Heidi Gantwerk, Public Affairs Director, KNSD-TV, 8330 Engineer Road, San Diego, CA 92171, phone: 619.278.6397, fax: 619.492.9143; Amy Blum, Community Affairs Director, KGTV-TV, P.O. Box 85347, San Diego, CA 92186-5347, phone: 619.527.6397, fax: 619.527.0369; CNN, One CNN Center, Atlanta, GA 30303, phone: 404.827.8234, fax: 404.827.1593. Radio Coverage Should Be Examined and Not Heard Radio coverage has been sporadic at best. While Boston radio station WFNX-FM's One in Ten conducted an on-air interview with GLAAD Communications Director Alan Klein live from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Rally, some local stations seem to feel that lesbians and gay men are a subject for ridicule. On August 13, the KFMB-FM Star 100.7 morning show radio personalities joked about having an "anti-protest person" who would be counter-demonstrating against the various marches and rallies. During the segment they claimed that the largest rally on August 12 was the Affirmative Action group at 600 people, despite the fact that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender March & Rally had thousands in attendance. Additionally, in choosing who to "protest" that day, they suggested lesbians as a target, followed by contemptuous guffaws. Contact: Andrea Hildebran, Producer, One in Ten, WFNX-FM, 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA 61901, phone: 617.595.6200, fax: 617.595.3810; KFMB-FM, P.O. Box 85888, San Diego, CA 92123, phone: 619.292.7600, fax: 619.279.7676. Reportage Round-Up: Covered Despite a general blackout or distortion of lesbian and gay issues by convention media, some accurate reportage got through to the eyes and ears of Americans. =85 Kudos to ABC "World News Tonight" for the most comprehensive network coverage on August 12 of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender March & Rally. =85 As of the second day of the Convention, the VOICES Media Center organizations have conducted over two hundred interviews with media representatives nationwide and have held news conferences on the Republican Party platform, the Dole/Kemp ticket and AIDS issues. =85 The New York Times reported on August 11 that Republican vice-presidential nominee Jack Kemp stated in 1987 that he was opposed to lesbians and gay men becoming school teachers. Reportage Round-Up: Covered Up =85 Richard Cohen's August 12 editorial in the Washington Post perpetuated the Republicans' spin-meister-inspired myth of Kemp as more inclusive and less mean-spirited than the bulk of the delegates. =85 The San Diego Union-Tribune practiced idolatrous coverage of the Republican National Convention and almost totally excludes lesbian, gay and AIDS issues and events related to the Convention. =85 CNN's Bonnie Anderson talked down to the American public by making protests a "puff piece." The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is the lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Copies of articles referred to in the GLAADAlert are available to our members by contacting GLAAD. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York), 413.586.8928 (Northampton), 503.224.5285 (Portland, Oregon), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC) or 415.861.2244(San =46rancisco). Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD's Web Site at http://www.glaad.org "GLAADAlert," "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org VISIT THE GLAAD WEB SITE AT http://www.glaad.org! GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.