Diversity Blog

COVERING THE DEAF COMMUNITY

2008-07-04T04:01:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: Nat'l. Committee on Diversity

When referring to diversity, the SPJ uses a broad-stroke definition; meaning ethnic minorities, Gays and the disabled.

But, when we speak of the disabled, the public often thinks only of those who are in wheelchairs or are otherwise, physically impaired. However, the word can also refer to the deaf community, though many deaf persons do not consider themselves to be disabled.

Indeed, their lives are far from the classic description of a disabled person. This blog will offer tips on how a journalist might cover a story involving a deaf person, or an event in the deaf communithy.

Having already worked over 11 years as a photo-journalist, while I was earning my undergraduate degree at the private Westminhster College in Fulton, MO; I worked my way through college by teaching photography at the nearby Missouri School for the Deaf.

It was an exhilerating experience. I loved it!

I literally lived in the deaf community, and found the deaf to be an exciting, diverse population. By deaf, I do not mean the hard-of-hearing, those who can restore their ability to functionally hear with a hearing aid. I refer to those who have little or no hearing cognition.

Many of the high-school teenagers in my classes became deaf as a result of having German measles at birth, a comon cause of deafness. These deaf persons may most easily develop the unusual skill of lip reading, a talent which those who became deaf later as an adult may find difficult to acquire.

All of my students used the American Sign Language for communicating with each other, a skill I quickly learned out of necessity and fervent desire to more easily "chat' with my students, who quickly became close friends.

Other than the inability to comprehend sound, deaf individuals are just as diverse in their skills and personalities as those of us in the hearing world. To think that they are mentally retarded simply because they are deaf is a major mistake of many hearing people.

Many of my sharper students went on to earn their college degrees at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.; a private institution of higher learning designed primarily to serve deaf students. It's an amazing university!

Covering Stories of the Deaf

While an untrained journalist might be apprehensive at first about working a story involving a deaf person, or the deaf community; particularly if they don't know the sign language, they should approach their assignment exactly the same way they would any story where the principals involved speak a foreign language.

You get an interpreter.

Usually, the deaf person or group will quickly provide an interpreter for you. If that person is a lip reader, when communicating with you, they may try to also speak.

If they have been deaf most of their life, the sound of their voice may sound artifically high pitched when they speak to you. They have been trained to use their vocal chords, even though they cannot heard their own speech. It may sound as if they are straining their voice to speak, but they may not be.

When speaking to a deaf interviewee, or interpreter, who can read lips, do NOT overemphasize your lips movements. Speak natually and the lip reader will be able to understand you.

And, do NOT shout when speaking to the lip-reading person. Shouting will not help them understand what you are saying. Indeed, speak naturally and the lip reader will comprehenend.

If there is any difficulty in communication between you, feel comfortable in writing out what you want to say to your deaf interpreter. And, be comfotable if that person sends you a written note. It's all within the "normal" communications experience for the deaf.

Try an Experiment - and Find a Story

For a great feature story, go out with 4 or 5 deaf personhs to a nice restaurant where good service and food is expected. But, say NOTHING aloud. Communicate entirely with your friends by writing notes.

Communicate also with the waiter/waitress with written notes. Let that person think that you are also deaf and cannot understand what he/she says.

Notice how the waiter may treat your table quite differently than might be expected from a professional.

Several times I have gone out with my deaf friends in Fulton, Missouri and went to a quality restaurant.

I said nothing, communicating only in sign language or by writing messages with my deaf friends at the table.

But, in plain view and right in front of me, I had a small tape recorder recording everything the waiter said.

You would be amazed at the insulting, rude remarks the waiter would make when he thought nobody at the table understood what he was saying.

Service would be horrible. Orders were incorrect and the food was not cooked properly.

In such situations, after all of the above bad service occurred, I walked over to the head waiter and spoke, asking to speak with the owner/manager.

When the owner/manager heard the tape recording of the dismal and unprofessional service, I reminded him that such conduct was also a violation of state and federal laws.

In negotiating a quick, on-the-spot settlement, the managment on several occassions agreed to provide all meals (freshly and properly cooked) on the house. They also agreed to meet with my school's principal to determine how the swanky restaurant could help the deaf school financially in the future.

Any journalist with questions about covering a story involving a deaf person or the deaf community, is invited to contact me at leopowerhere@msn.com or (619) 757-4909.

"Illegal" IMMIGRANTS UNDERSTAND PATRIOTISM

2008-07-03T04:32:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence; Member: SPJ Nat'l. Committee on Diversity

We can learn about American patriotism from immigrants, including those some improperly call "illegal."

I wrote the word "illegal" in quotation marks for a particular reason. While I wanted to catch your attention, I also strongly believe it is profesionally unethical, as a journalist, to brand anyone as "illegal" who has not been so judged by a court of law.

Our nation of laws holds firmly that a person is innocent until - and only until - proven guilty by a judge.

An article "Is Obama American Enough" by columnist Ruben Navarette, Jr. of the San Diego Union Tribune addresses the issue of patriotism as we celebrate the Fourth of July. Being a Navy veteran, I proudly fly my Stars 'n Stripes frequently. The Fourth of July is a special day for me.

After exploring the "silly controversies over flag pins" and other similar issues, like "when it was that his wife became proud of her country;" Navarrette says, "In some quarters, Obamam is being attacked for not being American enough . . .".

"The irony is that, as the son of someone who immigrated here fromn another country, Obama probably understands better than many of his fellow, native-born citizens what it means to be an American.

"Immigrants (all of them), no matter where they came from, have a lot to teach the rest of us about seeking opportunity, working hard, pursuing dreams, treasuring liberty and remaining optimistic even when you fail," Navarette wrote.

"If you really want to understand patriotism, don't talk to those of us who were born here through no effort of our own.

"Talk to someone who came here from Iran or Eastern Europe, or Cuba and who doesn't have the luxury of taking freedom for granted.

"Talk to somefrom from Vietnam or Indian or Mexico (yes, Mexicans) who see only opportuntities where many of us see obstacles," Navarrette wrote in his revealing column.

In other words, to understand American patriotism on the Fourth of July, you might talk to those who many would improperly call "illegal immigrants."

______________________

For comment, contact Leo E. Laurence at leopowerhere@msn.com

LATINOS & BLACKS HIT HARD BY HOUSING CRISIS

2008-07-02T03:00:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: SPJ Nat'l. Committee on Diversity and CCNMA - Latino Journalists of California

Racial minorities have been hit especially hard by the housing crisis, and some newspapers - like The San Diego Union Tribune - are covering this angle.

Minority borrowers accounted for half of the increase in homeowners from 1995 to 2005, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Latinos represented about 46 percent and African-Americans about 55 percent of those who took out risky mortgages. They also got higher-cost loans, as compared with about 17 percent for whites and Asians.

"Many of these people with subprime loans were misled. In some cases, fraud was involved and some just got in over their heads," said Gregg Robinson, co-chair of the Affordable Housing Coalition of San Diego and reported by the Union Tribune's Penni Crabtree. It is one of the few major newspapers that is covering the affect of the housing crisis on racial, minority populations.

Many of the Latinos who took out these subprime loans spoke little or no English. They were relying on the honesty and professionalism of the housing agents with whom they did business.

Cezar Gonzalez saw his neighbors becoming home owners, and he wanted to own his home, too. He trused his realtor and the loan officer.

"But, (Gonzalez) didn't understand what he was doing, said Adelina Enriquez, a counselor at Community Housing Works, a non-profit that offers free counseling to distressed homeowners.

Gonzalez is a constructor worker who speaks little English and dropped out of school after the fifth grade. It's a problem that many Latinos, particularly in Californoa, face as loan officers pushed risky loans.

"But, once you sign the loan papers, you take the responsibility and the risk," added Enriquez.

Latinos and African-Americans make up a disproportionately large number of the thousands in the nation who face losing their homes to foreclosure, and are in default on their loans with adjustable interest rates that are rapidly rising.

Gonzalez, speaking through an interpreter, said he still is uncertain what kind of loan he signed up for on the $565,000 duplex he bought last May.

His monthly income was $3,200, but the loan officer approved mortgage payments of $4,200; so the loan was ill conceived from the beginning.

Recently, his lender, Countrywide (which has figured prominently in the housing crisis), called Gonzalez to ask why he was late on his payments.

The housing crisis is far from over. But, it is hitting racial minorities particularly hard.

Newspapers across the nation should follow the lead of the San Diego Union Tribune in covering this angle of the housing-crisis story.

________________

Contract Leo E. Laurence at leopowerhere@msn.com

GAY IMAGES STILL DISTORT REALITY

2008-07-01T23:42:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: National Committee on Diversity

Stories and photos of gay civil-rights events are in the news more than ever, particularly with the California Supreme Court legalizing gay marriages. Summertime, also, is when Gay-Pride events are held worldwide, celebrating the Stonewall Riots in New York City in June of '69.

To illustrate its coverage of the massive Gay-Pride parade in San Francisco recently, the San Diego Union Tribune - which is usually sensitive to diversity issues - ran a Reuters photos of two lesbians in campy, leather drag.

That photo reinforced the stereotype that Gays are a fringe element in society, and not a part of the mainstream. They could have run a photo of the large law-enforcement contingent in the parade, showing that cops and sheriffs are Gay, too.

Some photo editors need more diversity education!

Editors, also, need to learn more about gay history if they are going to run stories about it.

Historically, it is a myth that the Stonewall Riots launched the worldwide gay, civil-rights movement. Those riots in '69 were little more than a big street fight between Latin drag queens from inside the Stonewall, a hustler bar in Greenwich Village, and the cops.

There was no fundimental, planned, organized, civil-rights issue(s) or purpose behind the Stonewall riots.

However, several months before Stonewall, there were non-violent, "militant" civil-rights demonstrations, pickets and events in the San Francisco area.

They were led by the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF), which was orgaized to fight for employment rights for Gays. The CHF was fighting to get the job of its co-founder, 19-year-old Gale Whittington, restored after he had been fired by the States Steamship Lines in San Francisco's financial district for being Gay.

Eventually, the CHF expanded it's civil-rights operations to hit major businesses such as the downtown Macy's Department Store in San Francisco for homophobic practices.

Because some religous, fanatical homophobes threatened the CHF members, and because the notoriously homophobic police were not expected to protect the CHF members, the CHF received help from the Black Panther Party which cupported gay civil rights.

But, that history is usually ignored by editors - and many gay "history" books - who take the easy way out and perpetuate the myth that the Stonewall Riots launched the Gay Lib movement.

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For comment, write Leo E. Laurence at leopowerhere@msn.com

USE OF "ILLEGAL ALIENS" PHRASE DISCOURAGED

2008-06-26T16:51:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, J.D.; Member: San Diego "Pro" Chapter; Member: National Committee on Diversity

We have the good fortune is live in a democracy and in a free society. But, there are duties, responsibilties and costs associated with life in these United States.

Among the "duties" are the obligations to (1) to vote, (2) to serve on a jury, (3) to pay our taxes, and (3) to obey the law.

There are no exceptions to the duty to obey all laws. Our state and federal Constitutions apply to everyone, including those without citizenship documentation, those whom some would angrily call illegal aliens.

In an earlier blog, I wrote that journalists should avoid using the phrases "illegal aliens" or Illegal immigrants."

Both phrases are popularized by crusading politicans on the campaign trail and by the "minutemen" organization that focuses only on our border with Mexico, and not along the Canadian border.

The reason for my advice to journalists is that a fundimental rule in our criminal justice system that everyone is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

That legal doctrine is so basic to our legal system that even kindergarden kids know it.

But, in angry and sometimes insulting responses that I've received to my original blog (which expressed my personal opinion as a blogger based on the rule of law), some people had the absurb notion that our Constition protections apply only to citizens, and not those who are undocumented in this country.

In other words, in a strange twisting of legal logic, they argued that while the immigrations laws apply to undocumented individuals, our procedural laws do not. The law doesn't work that way, folks.

All our laws - including the procedural protections of presumed innocence until found guilty in court - apply equaly to everyone. That's why the statute of Lady Law is blindfolded.

A person is not ipso facto guilty of a crime just because somebody thinks they are a criminal. They become an unlawful, illegal criminal only after a conviction in court.

If some of those who sent me angry e-mails want to live in a legal system that does not include the constitutional protection of "innocent until proven guilty," then I suggest they move to a dictatorship that doesn't have our system of laws.

If anyone can pick and choose among those laws that they will obey - and ignore the presumption on innocence - then we will have anarchy in America.

Personally, I prefer democracy to anarchy.

_______________________

For comment, contact Leo E. Laurence, J.D. at leopowerhere@msn.com or (619) 757-4909

INFLAMATORY RESPONSES TO "ILLEGAL" BLOG

2008-06-26T02:06:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, J.D., Member, San Diego "Pro" Chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

While I expected my personal blog on gay marriages to create the largest storm of protests of many blogs I've written, I was wrong.

My blog urging journalists, as a matter of law, to avoid using the phrase "illegal aliens" or "illegal immigrants" drew far more strong, and sometimes profane, responses.

When a person has to use offensive profanity to prove their point, I usually disregard it as the product of a crude mind. So goes the profane response by Jeff Barber and sent, not to me as the blogger, but to the SPJ's ececutive direcvtyor, Terry Harper.

Other responses, however, deserve a response.

"I was shocked when I discovered your article "AVOID THE PHRASE 'ILLEGAL' IMMIGRANTS. I was even more horrified when I found the website of the Society of Professional Journalists. The group should be named the Society for aiding the enemy" (sic), wrote Jeff (no last name or city).

"You are an enemy soldier," Jeff added. Considering Jeff's attitude, I consider his criticism a compliment.

While the blog is part of the SPJ's diversity committee's contribution to the SPJ's website, the blogs are the personal opinions of the blogger, and NOT necessarily a statement of position by the SPJ.

"This (blog) is one of the most misguided articles I have ever come across," wrote James (also, no last name) of Fort Collins, Colorado.

"Actually, as I ponder this silliness, I begin to understand the diminished role of journalists in our society.

"An immmigrant who is in this country illegally is an illegal immigrant (the term 'alien,' I agree, is unnecessary) The mere presence (sic) is an admission of guilt," James wrote.

As a matter of law, however, that argument has no merit.

A person, any person, does not admit to a crime simply by their presence at the scene of that alleged crime. That's not the way our criminal justice system works.

Again, we go to the basic issue that was described in detail in the original blog: that only a court of law can decide if a person is illegal or guilty of a crime; including our federal, immigration laws.

But, many of those who want to send all undocumented immigratns "back where they came from" don't want to bother with such important procedural protections as due process of law.

Indeed, even the president has repeatedly said that, as a pratical matter, there are so many people in this country who are undocumented immigrants, it would be impossible to process all those cases through our federal district courts.

There would simply too many. The flood of cases would mean that no civil cases could be heard because criminal cases always must be heard before civil cases.

Those who want to ignore the procedural requirements of due process of law for those horrible "illegal aliens," would also be the first to scream bloody murder if they wre treated the same way in our criminal courts. What hypocrites!

Mike Butler suggested that I use my spell-checker because he found misspelling in my blog. Then he accused me of being "a Latino lover, illegal immigrant disapprover (sic), non-Latino phobe (sic)." "Sic" is a literary term indicating that a gramatical error exists in the original quote.

Then there is Mike and Lese Meyer (no city) who believe people in America must "earn the right to be protected by American law."

Where do you find that crazy idea in the Constitution?

"Your comments such as 'all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law' was only meant for American citizens," they wrote. Again, that statement has no merit in the law.

While I criticized use of the term illegal aliens, a word that makes it sound like our undocumented immigrants are coming from another planet; Stephen Bennet of mooresville, North Carolina, took the idea one step further.

"If you prefer, another term that would be just as correct to use is 'invaders.' I would consider the two (aliens and invaders) interchangeable," Bennet wrote.

So, now these "aliens" are from outter space and are invading us ???

Joe Nowlin wrote, "As far as I know, it is illegal for an immigrant to enter the USA without proper identification. If we can agree on that fact, than (sic) by definition an undocumented immigrant is an illegal immigrant . . . So, your undocumented immigrant term is equally politically incorrect and offensive."

The only problem with Nowlin's logic is that it is faulty, as a matter of law. It totally disregards the requirements of due process of law that must be satisfied before a court can rule that any person is "illegal."

A person who is in this country without proper documentation is an alleged illegal immigrant. They are not, in fact, illegal until a court so rules, as my original blog startes.

This obviously is a very HOT button issue.

But, I find it very sad and hypocritical that so many people, who would DEMAND all the procedural protections of due process of law if they were charged with a crime, as so willing to ignore those same legal protections for people with brown skin without papers.

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For comment, contact Leo Laurence at leopowerhere@msn.com or at (619) 757-4909.

AVOID THE PHRASE "ILLEGAL" IMMIGRANTS

2008-06-24T03:57:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, J.D., Member: San Diego "Pro" chapter; Member: National Committee on Diversity

Both national and local media regularly refer to undocumented immigrants as illegal immigrants, or the most inflamatory phrase, illegal aliens (as if they came from another planet). Both are wrong, as a matter of law.

The phrase illegal alien was popularized by the anti-Latino organization, the "Minutemen," who conduct their seemingly racist operations along our border with Mexico.

In America, our federal Constitution guarentees that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is an important, fundimental principal of the criminal-justice system in our English, common-law system of jurisprudence. It is one of the reaons that we fought the Revolutionary War.

In those countries that use the Civil Law system of jurisprudence, which dates back to the Roman Empire and the Napoleonic Code, a person is guilty until proven innocent.

The burden of proof distinguishes the two systems of criminal law. In our English common-law, the burden is high for prosecutors to prove a criminal suspect is guilty of a crime (beyong a reasonable doubt). In Civil Law countries, the burden on the suspect is light to prove their innocence.

Mexico has historically followed the Civil Law system of criminal justice. Only very recently, however, did the federal Mexican government in Mexico City revise its Criminal Code to match our English common law. Persons in Mexico now are technically innocent until proven guilty.

USE OF THE WORD "ALLEGED"

Most professional journalists will use the word "alleged" when referring to a person charged with a crime, but not yet found guilty by a court of law. For example, we say a criminal defendant is an alleged murderer when writing a story.

It is strange, therefore, that reporters today will commonly write that undocumented immigrants are illegal, when the alleged crime is a non-capital offense. In other words, we treat alleged murders more cautiously than we treat immigrants.

Perhaps part of the reasons is because of the influence of anti-Latino groups such as the Minutemen.

It may also be because it is useful for some politicans to use controversial, emotionally-charged words in campaign speeches to fire up their constitutents. This is particularly true for those who represent congressional districts near the Mexican border, such as Congressman Duncan Hunter and his candidate son.

They like to fan the flames of prejudice as political ammunition because many in their districts share their attitude against undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens).

It seems that many in America (spelled Amerikkka in the late 60s) have a need to hate someone. Early in our nation's history, many hated the colored people (niggers) so much they lynched them on trees. Some, today, unfortunately still dislike African-Americans.

As homosexuals began coming out-of-the-closet in the late 60s and launched the now world-wide Gay-Lib movement in San Francisco, many homophobic people hated Gays. Some radical, evangelical churches even came up with the phrase, "Kill a *** for Christ."

That homophobia has significanly declined in recent years, particularly among young people. Indeed, the Califolrnoa Supreme Court on May 15th joined the State of Massachusettes in legalizing gay marriagtes. But, homophobia remains strong and an amendment to the state constitution to overturn the state's high-court ruling will be on the November ballot. It's chances are mixed.

While many still hate African-Americans and Gays, the new target of hatred today is Latinos, legal and/or undocumented. If you've got brown skin, many believe you are ipso facto an illegal alien and "should go back to where you came from."

Words can be far more powerful than a sword!

Journalists, therefore, have a special duty and obligation under our S-P-J Code of Ethics to choose their words carefully. They must avoid fanning the flames of prejudice and racism by referring to undocumented immigtrants as illegal aliens or illegal immigrants. Besides, it's contrary to the law.

Newsrooms ought to take affirmative steps to issue official policies that nobody can be called illegal, unless a court of law has so ruled.

Journalists are not politicans who are trying to exploit the racist feelings of some constituients in an election campaign by regularly repeating the phrase, illegal immigrants.

__________________

For comment, contact Leo Laurence at (619) 757-4909 or at leopowerhere@msn.com

COVERING SENIORS SOMETIMES REQUIRES DELICACY

2008-06-22T08:17:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: San Diego "Pro" Chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

Covering seniors can sometimes require some extraordinary delicacy for journalists, largely because our senior population is growing rapidly and it is incredibly diverse.

BUT, not all seniors think of their senior status similarly.

For purposes of this blog, I'll define seniors loosely; and generally as anyone over 50, but certainly those 60 or more. Remember, some lively persons who look 50 may indeed be 75; and some who look 80, are hunched over and using a walker, may be only 50.

AGE: Some seniors are comfortable - and even proud - of their age, but many are still living as if they were 20 or 30 years younger and do NOT like to reveal their age.

This is expecially true of senior citizens who, perhaps because of good genes, don't look their age. A senior I know is 75 and going on 76. But, he looks easily 20 years younger, hangs out with people in their 20s and is very uncomfortable whenever anyone asks him his real age.

He'd prefer people think of him as he appears, and not as he really is.

For a journalist, if age isn't pertinent to your story, there may be no need to ask about it. However, on most all stories I work, I routinely ask interviewees their age for identification purposes. I don't press the question unless age if important, as with a crime story.

GAYS AND LESBIANS: Historically, the Gay Community has worshipped youth. For example, images of young people fill the ads in gay publications.

Therefore, a reporter needs to be particularly senative to this cultural characteristic when asking gay seniors any question about their age or an age-related issue. Is it really needed for your story?

OCCUPATION/PROFESSION: Many seniors have had several occupations/professions over their lifetime.

When doing an interivew, if that varied background might be meaningful to your story, do ask about past occupations. This is true even though your interviewee may be doing something entirely different now than they did decades ago.

MEDICAL HISTORY: In personal conversations, I usually try to avoid asking my senior friends, "How are you?" That's because I fear that I will get a full medical report (e.g., "I went to my urologist today and my urine is etc., etc., etc.").

While that observation may be stereotypical, many seniors are retired and have very little to keep them busy. For one older neighbor I once had, going to his mailbox was the only time he left his home during the day)

Therefore, it's a BIG experience when they do go to their doctor. But, really, I'm not interested to knowing how well they can urinate and why.

However, if their medical condition is germane to your story, a journalist might want to narrow their questions to particular specifics, so to avoid getting a generalized medical report.

And, if needed, ask your interviewee to tell their doctor that you might be calling to verify facts, if they are really needed for your story.

COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY: Many seniors have not kept up with advancing, modern technology as has our younger generations.

Many hate cell phones and rarely use e-mail. They may have difficulty setting the clock on electronic eqipment, and prefer life as it was a decade or so ago.

Journalists need to be senative to these pecularities of senior citizens, and don't expect that they will have a cell phone.

HISTORY: Senior citizens, however, can be a wealth of information, particularly in providing lively history of issues about which you are writing.

Doing a piece on the Korean War, the so-called "forgotten war?"

There are plenty of seniors around your community who can tell the most fantastic sea stories about their wartime experiences, and love doing it.

_________________________

Add your comments to this; or to contact the blogger, Leo Laurence, call (619) 757-4909 or e-mail to leopowerhere@msn.com

OBAMA IS REALLY BIRACIAL, NOT AFRICAN-AMERICAN

2008-06-20T01:18:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: San Diego "Pro" Chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

Sen. Barrack Obama is really biracial, and NOT African-American as many in the media describe him.

He is a "young, black, first-term senator," wrote Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post.

Indeed, his primary campaign opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton, as she suspended her campaign, said: "Could an African-American really be our next president? . . . Sen. Obama has answered that one."

What is wrong with those descriptions is the so-called "one-drop rule," that says any individual with one drop of African-American blood is considered black, as Prof. Bey-Ling Sha said in an Opinion piece in the San Diego Union Tribune recently. She is a journalsim professor at San Diego State Univeristy and a published author on diversity issues.

Another problem journalists face is that we often will describe a person in our stories based on their physical appearence. For example, a blond-haired, blue-eyed person is usually called white, even if that person has considerably African, Asian or Latino blood in their veins.

Obmama has repeatedly described himself as "biracial." His father is a black man from Kenya and his mother is white.

However, when Prof. Sha checked online with LexisNexis on June 9th, she found 1,754 articles that described Sen. Obama as black. Of that number, 526 appeared in the past 3 months.

In contrast, LexisNexis yielded only 88 articles (30 appearing recently) that descrivbed him as "biracial."

"Calling (Obama) 'black' obviously focuses attention on only half of who he claims to be," Prof. Sha stressed.

Doesn't media responsibility mean respecting the (biracial) identity avowed by Obama?" she asked. "What a missed opportunity to expand our national discourse on race."

"Instead of wondering whether Obama is 'black' enough for African-American voters, or 'too black' for white voters; the media could have asked whether Obama's biracialism made him more appealing to both blacks and whites. . .", Prof. Sha added.

The vocabulary we journalists use when we write a story is an extremely important consideration when discussing race, or any other issue involving diversity (including Gays and the disabled).

We live in a multi-racial world where most of us have the blood of more than one race in our veins. I'm primarily Dutch from New York State. I'm proud that my ancestors founded New York City. But, because my ancestors also commingled with the local Indians, there is also Native-American blood in my veins, though I consider myself white. Actually, I'm probably multi-racial.

"In short, we need to focus on (Sen. Obmama's) identity as a candidate, and not on his identity as a man," Prof. Sha advised. But, when we do, make it accurate. He's biracial, NOT black or Africal-American.

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Add your comments to this blog. To contact the author, Leo Laurence, call (619) 757-4909 or e-mail at leopowerhere@msn.com

DISABLED ISSUES ARISE AND MORE STORIES NEEDED

2008-06-17T01:29:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence; Member, San Diego "Pro" chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

We usually think about racial discrimination when the word "diversity" is used; but, in the S-P-J, that word -as used by our National Committee on Diversity - also includes Gays and the disabled. The DISABLED! Really?

We usually think about those with physical limitations, those using wheelchairs or prosthetics, when the word "disabled" is used. But, the mentally disabled are also included.

Depresssion, for example, is widespread and can hit anyone - from an intern reporter to a senior editor. It can drain our energy, cause us to seriously procrastinate, lose interest in everything and - if not treated - can lead to suicide. Yes, it's serious!

Depression can be just a debilitating as a physical disability. Indeed, those with physical limitations often experience serious depression, as in post-traumatic syndrome with which our middle-eastern war veterans are all too familiar.

Fortunately, for those who are physically disabled, the federal government is finally considering taking some major action to update the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This needs considerable coverage by the media nationwide.

A new proposal will soon be published in the Federal Register that would substantially update and rewrite the ADA, that landmark civil rights law that was passed with strong biparticisn support in 1990.

More than 51 millioin Americans have some kind of disability, according to the Census Bureau, and that number is probably low because many people suffering from depression often keep it a secret.

The 215,000-word proposal has been under development for over four years. It includes these specific proposals for new construction, among many others:

** Courts would have to provide a lift or ramp to ensure that witnesses in wheelchairs could get into the witness stnad, which are often elevated.

** Auditoriums would have to provide a similar ramp or lift so wheelchair users can participate fully in graduation exercises and similar programs on stage.

** Light switches in hotels could not be more than 48-inches high, rather than the current 54-inch masimum.

** A new swimming pool with a perimeter of more than 300-feet would have to provide at least two accessable means of entry, such as a gentle slope or a chair lift.

** At least 25 percent of the railings on fishing piers would have to be no more than 34-inches high to accomodate the disabiled.

While the setimated cost of these changes in about $23 billion, it is believed the value of the public benefit will be about $654 billion.

In the economic analysis of the proposed rules, the need for an accessible environment is greater now because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are creating a new generation of young men and women with disabilities.

The Justice Departmnet estimates that by 2010, just two years from now, 2 percent of the adult population will use wheelchairs and 4 percent will use crutches, canes or walkers.

This puts a new and urgent obligation on our news media to cover this story thoroughly, particularly at the local level.

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Add your comment, or call Leo Laurence at (619) 757-4909 or write leopowerhere@msn.com

INACCURATE COVERAGE OF GAY-MARRIAGE ISSUE

2008-06-16T14:10:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, J.D.; Member, San Diego "Pro" chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

Some stories on the California Supreme Court's decision on gay marriages reported that the court had created "new law." That was inaccurate.

Some stories said the high court's ruling was made by "activist judges." That was inaccurate.

Some stories said the high court should have following the "will of the people" who voted overwhelmingly on a statewide initiative in 2000 that marriage must be between a man and a woman. As a matter of law, that was inaccurate.

No "new law" was created by California's high court.

Rather, after an exhaustive study of both the law of marriage (for straights) and the statuatory "domestic partnerships" (for Gays); the court found that having two, "separate, but (supposedly) equal" laws for straight couples and gay couples was unconstitutional under the state's Constitution. That's all it did. It did not create "new law."

When I served as a legal researcher at the California Court of Appeal for four years, most major Opinions of the court ran 30-40 pages. This gay-marriage ruling is extremely complex and thorough. It runs 161 pages, including dissents.

All but one of the justices (appellate jurists are called justices, not judges) had been appointed by conservative republican governors. Chief Justice Ronald M. George, who signed as primary author (though the court's legal research staff did most of the work), has a long reputation as a law-and-order jurist. He's hardly a liberal "activist."

While voters in 2000 had voted overwhelmingly on a statewide ballot initiative that marriage must be between a man and a woman; it is fundimental law that neither the Legislature nor the voters can enact a law that does not pass constitutional muster.

Even if 99 percent of the voters approved a law that husbands could hospitalize their wives without legal cause, such a law would be struck down by the court as violating the constitutional rights of the wives. It is the duty of the state's Supreme Court to rule on these issues under the doctrine of separation of powers.

"The question of access to civil marraige by same-sex couples is not a matter of social policy (to be enacted by the Legislature or by a vote of the people), but of constitutional interpretation. It is a question for this court to decide," the Opi9nioin states clearly.

Many stories focused on the link between marriage and procreation, saying that marriage must be between a man and a woman because only they can biologically produce children. In rejecting that arguement, the high court said, "the constitutional right to marry never has been viewed as the sole preseerve of individuals who are physically capable of having children."

In the law, as Californoia goes, so goes the nation; and frequently that's true. That's why this issue will spread across the country, paticularly if the statewide ballot iniative designed to overturn this gay marriage ruling is defeated at the polls in November.

Therefore, reporters and editors nationwide will be facing this issue for some time to come. It is important that they understand the ruling, and - in particular - what it does not hold.

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Add your comments, or contact Leo Laurence at (619) 757-4909 or at leopowerhere@msn.com

MINORITIES IN THE MILITARY

2008-06-16T05:01:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence; Member, San Diego "Pro" chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity

When Clint Eastwood produced two films about the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima, a clash was set up with Spike Lee, the Afican-American filmaker. Lee was at the Cannes Film Festival promoting his film "Miracle of St. Anne," about an all-black U.S. Army division that fought in Italy during WWII.

Lee contrasted his film with two by Eastwood (Flags Over Iwo Jima and Letters from Iwo Jima), explaining that neither had any African-American soldiers in them.

"Clint Eastwood made two films that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one negro actor on the screen," Lee said at Cannes; and reported in a column by Ruben Navarrette, Jr. of the San Diego Union Tribune, a daily that makes a determined and outstanding effort to put diversity into its news coverage and staffing.

"In (Eastwood's) version of Iwo Jima, negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version," Lee added, albiet focused on Italy and not the island in the Pacific.

Eastwood fired back claimingng there was only a small number of black broops on Iwo Jima as part of a munitions company. "But, they didn't raise the flag," Eastwood said.

"Has (Lee) ever studied history," Eastwood fired back when the issue got personal.

Lee insisted that he, indeed, knew history, including "the history of Hollywood and its omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to World War II," As he phrased it, "Not everyone is John Wayne," baby.

That's also the same message that Latino veterans were telling Ken Burns last year when he put together for PBS a 14-hour documentary on that horrible war. While Burns included Anfrican-Americans in his film, initially he left out any mention of the more than a half-million Latinios who also contributed to that war effort.

In reaction to the many Latino protests, Burns sprinkled 28 minutes of new interviews and photographs of two Latinos and one Native-American into his epic PBS movie.

People are not inclined to forgive and forget such historical ommissions, especially when they involve our military personnel.

Navarrette said "Eastwood was wrong to try to minimize the role (that) Anfrican-American soldiers played in the battle of Iwo Jima, with dismissive comments about how there was only a small number of black troops in a munitions company."

Histroians say that between 700 and 900 African-American soldiers (and possibly Marines) who participated in the month-long assault on Iwo Jima where thousands of our military died.

"While barred from combat duty, they risked their lives piloting amphibious craft vehicles ashore, unloading and transporting ammunition to the front lines, and burying the dead - all the while braving enemy fire," Navarrette wrote.

"That's a compelling story. And, as a gifted storyteller, Cline Estwood ought to be sorry he missed it," the columnist wrote.

Reporters and editors can learned a lesson from this. When covering a story, any story; if minorities, Gays or the disabled are involved, make sure your coverage includes them.

***

Add your comments to this blog, or contact Leo Laurence at (619) 757-4909 or write to leopowerhere@msn.com

DIVERSITY WILL MAKE NEWSROOMS STRONGER

2008-06-13T06:47:00Z

by Leo E. Laurence, San Diego "Pro" Chapter and Member, National Committee on Diversity

When a story comes into your newsroom involving a minority, Gays or the disabled, your coverage will be more sensitive and better written IF the journalist is a member of that community.

By diversity, the SPJ's National Committee on Diversity includes Gays and the disabled, not limiting diversity to racial minorities.

For example, a story on how the credit crunch is affecting the African-American community will probably be better written by an African-American reporter.

Another timely story is the gay marriage issue, particularly since the California Supreme Court ruled on May 15th that they are legal. Actually, it held that the state's laws limited marriage to straight couples violated the state's Constitution.

This is a story that will be around for awhile inasmuch as the opposition has launched a well-funded campaign to overturn the court's dramatic ruling with an initiative on the November ballot.

It is an explosive and controversial topic that a gay reporter might do a much better job writing.

Some editors complain that not enough diverse reporters are applying for jobs to be able to make their newsrooms diverse.

In that case, it is the duty of the editor or news director to go out a recruit new hires, if they want a stronger newroom.

The SPJ's website has suggestions under diversity.

Many diversity communities have their own national, professional organizations, like the CCNMA - Latino Journalists of California, the Black Journalists Assn., the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Assn. and the Asian-American Journalists Association. Each will assit in recruiting.

If that doesn't work, editors can invite local leaders to come in and talk with their staffs about how to better cover stories to avoid damaging stereotypes.

In San Diego, for example, the mainstream media had historically covered the annual Gay Pride parade in the summer with photos and videos of stereotypical drag queens, while ignoring the large contingent of gay law enforcement officers.

The San Diego "Pro" Chapter, however, has helped change such situations with monthly workshops for the working media and friends. A recent successful panel discussed issues of diversity in newsrooms.

Besides avoiding slanted coverage, a newsroom with a diverse staff will usually produce more enterprise or exclusive stories. Minority reporters will know of issues in their communities that are missed by other media.

If you are covering a story about Native Americans, for example, a Native-American reporter will probably receive a warmer reception on a tribal reservation. They will find tribal leaders more willing to open up during interviews.

I served for several years as a "bombero" (firefighter) in Tijuana, Mexico. When I've interviewed the Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, after he learned of my "bombero" service, the diplomat seemed much more at ease during interviews.

Immigration issues are prominent in our national news. However, our mainstream media frequently refer to those who are undocumented as "illegal aliens," or "illegals;" much the same way that the anti-Mexican Minutemen do along our southern border.

In America, our federal Constituion clearly says that everyone is considered innocent until a court of law says otherwise. Therefore, only a judge sitting on an active case can rule that an undocumented immigrant is illegal.

A Latino journalist will be sensitive to that issue.

The SPJ has found that newsrooms with staffs that are balanced with diversity in mind are stronger, have better morale and produce more exclusives.

For comment, add your opinions to this blog, or contact Leo Laurence at leopowerhere@msn.com or call (619) 757-4909 cell.

Why We Can't Wait

2008-04-14T21:54:00Z

Many of you will recognize this headline as the title of Martin Luther's King's 1964 book. It was a forcefully written piece, as was all of Dr. King's writing, but few recall that it proposed a radical idea. Many of us think of Dr. King as a "liberal"; in truth, he was, in my view, as radical if not more so than Malcolm X.

King's book essentially urged the U.S. to put aside $50 billion over 10 years to compensate disadvantaged groups for the years of free labor gained under slavery. This is what we know as today's "reparations movement," one that has been marginalized as being too radical. King's reasoning, to cite a passage from the book, was that this money would have enormous benefit because there would be "a spectacular decline in school dropouts, family breakups, crime rates, illegitimacy, swollen relief rolls, rioting and other social ills."

We are struggling today, 44 years later, with many of these issues.

I thought of Dr. King's book as I read the latest diversity survey released Sunday by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The percentage of minorities in newsrooms nudged up from 13.42% the previous year to 13.52% last year. The total headcount of minority journalists dropped. The only reason the percentage of minority journalists increased is that everyone, of all ethnicities, is getting bought out, laid-off or fed-up, with the newspaper biz and leaving the newsroom.

Therefore, effectively, nothing has changed. In truth, it has gotten worse.

Now, a host of social ills will not be the result of poor diversity numbers in newsrooms. At least, that will not be a direct result.

Let's not forget why we even care about diversity in the first place. We care because the Kerner Commission in the 1960s said that one of the contributing factors to urban rioting was that we had created two worlds in this country: One white, one black. The Commission said the news media had been an active agent in the creation of these separate, unequal worlds.

Today, we have more than two worlds, for sure. The Hispanic population is rising and has been a force for some time. Ditto with the Asian American community. And the folks who have suffered most of all in this land of theirs, not ours, is the native American community. They still lack the respect they're due.

When I visit cities and newsrooms, as a longtime diversity buff, I do several things. I don't read the newspaper initially, I just drive around the town. I try to hit all areas -- black, white, Latino. What I am looking for is what the young folks are doing: How are they dressed? Who do they hang out with?

Then I quietly either follow the paper's continuing news coverage online or walk into their newsroom. If I see an all-white newsroom, as I have, and a poor black population, I know there is a major disconnect. I know that young minority men are most likely seen and heard only when being arrested. I know that they are horribly misunderstood and under-reported.

Last year, in a Southern newspaper, there was a front-page feature about how people coming to a black college football game came to show off their cars, decorated with commercial messages such as Hershey's chocolate and the like. Hmm.

Well, I had been seeing young black guys (and girls) in the same cars for two years before that and dropped hints to all who would listen that this looks like an urban cultural story. But the story that came out two years later was not only horribly wrong -- I had seen the guy depicted by the paper several times -- but it was also insulting. This was a college football game. The man depicted in the coverage was not a student at either college. In short, he was not representative of what was really going on.

Would an urban-educated reporter or editor handled that story differently? I'd hope so. I'd hope they would have written it two years before and certainly I hope they would not link it to a college football game.

Two worlds: One white, one black.

So that article reinforced the fears of white parents. Why don't more white parents send their children to state-supported black colleges and universities, which have been struggling since desegregation? The tuition is reasonable. The state supports it, so this is taxpaper money.

The answer, of course, is that they are afraid that someone will harm their child. Linking urban tendencies -- fancy cars -- with black college life reinforces that. In truth, if you haven't already figured it out, many black colleges are like colleges anywhere else. Yes, it helps to be in the majority so you can feel wanted and identify with a broad group of people. But, no, if you are white, you will not be mugged, raped or shot if you attend a black college. You will, like everyone else, get a good education if you apply yourself.

This is why diversity matters in newsrooms.

Have you ever wondered....

2008-03-15T22:32:00Z

..Why so few reporters at national, regional or local news outlets are specifically assigned to the diversity beat or the race beat?

Tell me if you agree (or disagree) and why.