Race, Sex, Media

The election cycle started early -- and the issues of race and racism are already stronger than ever before. How do we deal with racism in this particular political climate? We're expecting another storm today, so rather than meeting in person, please check your email and respond to the discussion questions I'll be sending out this afternoon. Your answer are due to me by the end of the day on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Required reading/viewing Twitter thread about the possible impact of Trump hinting at civil war by Michael Harriot, The Root “ Black Journalists Push Media to Cover ‘Hyper-Racial’ Moment in Politics ” by Michael Calderone, Politico “ ‘The Filter… Is Powerful’: Obama on Race, Media, and What It Took to Win ” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic “ NYT Top Editor: Trump Racism Headline Was a ‘F*cking Mess’ ” by Lachlan Cartwright, Maxwell Tani and Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast “ Anger at being labeled racist is the new ‘cultural anxiety’ for Trump supporters ” by Eugene Sco

On Monday, we'll be taking a closer look at media aimed at women -- online versions of traditional women's magazines, female-focused sections of the mainstream media, and how things have or have not evolved over the years. We'll also discuss  whether the #MeToo movement shaped how the media talks about -- and to -- women. With special guest lecturer Carolyn Libby, producer at WGBH-TV. Required reading/viewing: Watch what you can of tonight’s Democratic debate, hosted by The Washington Post and MSNBC, paying attention to the three (female) moderators, what they ask and how they’re received. Is there a focus on “women’s issues”? Do female candidate get more questions or more time? It’ll be livestreamed at MSNBC.com and WashingtonPost.com (if you can’t watch it live, you should be able to watch snippets or recaps after the fact). “ I Started the Media Men List. My Name Is Moira Donegan ” by Moira Donegan, The Cut “ Shitty Media Men List creator Moira Donegan on

Would creating smaller, niche media outlets better address gender, sex and race issues -- or would they limit understanding, with each one preaching to its own choir? Is the job of the media to reach new audiences and inform new people, or to develop dedicated ones where ideas are confirmed as they are explored? We'll also discuss the project you'll be working on for your final, which will be due to me via email by 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 9. With a special guest lecturer Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker . Required Reading/Viewing (I’ll email pdfs of the Globe articles if you can’t access them via these links.) “ It’s time to banish the racist legacy of Tom Yawkey ” by Adrian Walker, The Boston Globe “ The ugly history of the Red Sox and race adds a new chapter ” by Adrian Walker, The Boston Globe “ Renaming Yawkey Way Shouldn’t Be Put Off Any Longer ” by Adrian Walker, The Boston Globe “ Why Renaming Yawkey Way Matters ” by Adrian Walker, The Boston Globe

NO CLASS (Veterans Day). ASSIGNMENT DUE by 11:59 p.m. ET. Words are important, but if a picture speaks a thousand of them, then editors, writers, and multimedia journalists need to pay closer attention to the images they use to illustrate their stories. For this assignment, you will find an example of an image used to illustrate an article having to do with race, sex or gender. Write a short (200-300 word) essay explaining why the image that was published was problematic, and offer suggestions for at least two alternative images that might have worked better.  Email the essay and links to the article showing the problematic image to me by 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 11.  This assignment is worth 10 points, and will lose 20% of its value for every day that it is late. Here's an example: Image:   https://www.linkedin.com/content-guest/article/very-dangerous-place-child-college-louis-m-profeta-md Describe the problematic image:  There are three images used to illustrate this

What does the media get right? What do they get wrong? Where are the pitfalls, and how do we avoid them? We'll also talk about the quick assignment you'll have for next week, since we have no class on 11/11. Mason Dunn , director of advocacy for Keshet and the former executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, will join us for the first part of class, to discuss trans identities and the evolution of journalist coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. Required Reading/Viewing: " Transgender track stars speak out as critics allege unfair advantage " via Good Morning America (5 minutes) " Transgender Athletes Joined Her High School Track Team " via WTNH-TV (8 minutes) " 7 Questions About the Transgender Rights Ballot Measure " by Gabrielle Emmanuel, WGBH " Transgender Americans Face Daily Struggles " by Susan Milligan, U.S. News & World Report " Boston City Councilor Althea Garrison raises a delicate issu

Kids consume mainstream media, too. What messages are they getting about race, sex and gender, and how do those message affect them? With a special guest lecturer: Dan Lothian of Little Park Media, former CNN White House Correspondent. Required Reading/Viewing: “ Should Sesame Street Introduce a Racist Muppet? ” by Christopher Norris, The Good Men Project: “ How the New Season of Sesame Street Stands Up to Racial Hatred ” by Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian “ What Are We Teaching Boys When We Discourage Them from Reading Books About Girls? ” by Shannon Hale, The Washington Post “ Highlights Children’s Magazine to Publish Image of Same-Sex Couple for First Time After Controversy ” by Justin Wm. Moyer, The Washington Post “ Watching Gender: How Stereotypes in Movies and on TV Impacts Kids’ Development ” by Common Sense Media “ 10 Modern Kids Shows With Awesome Queer Characters ” by Terra Necessary, Pride.com

Does the media use different language when reporting on women and their actions, compared to the words used to describe men? Do pronouns really matter? What impact does gendered language have when reporting on the LGBTQ+ community, or when a source is nonbinary? Today we’ll take a look at gendered language, what it means in terms of unconscious bias, and how that informs -- or undermines -- our reporting. Required Reading/Viewing: “ From Mouth to Mind: How Language Governs our Perceptions of Gender ” by Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine “ It’s Time for ‘They’ ” by Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times “ Guys, Can We Stop Calling Everyone ‘Guys’ Already? ” by Julianne Ross, Mic “ 7 Ways to Make Your World More Transgender and Nonbianary Inclusive ” by Lily Wasserman, The Odyssey Online “ The Finkbeiner Test ” by Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review “ What I’m Not Going to Do ” by Ann Finkbeiner, The Last Word on Nothing “ The Uproar Over Taking ‘Man’ Out of ‘Manhole’ ” by Shannon Dea,

Just a reminder: No class today! Take the extra time to finish up your midterm paper/article on the ERA, which is due to me via email no later than 11:59 p.m. the night of Wednesday, Oct. 16. Email me if you have questions or want me to take a quick look at the draft before hand, or reach out to Alexa if you want her to do the same. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday, Oct. 21! I'll post the reading for that class soon.

Has the need to cover a more-diverse world outpaced actual diversification in mainstream newsrooms? How is the media handling stories of Latinx people, indigenous people, Arabic people and immigrants of all nationalities? Today, we'll be joined by Boston Globe columnist  Adrian Walker , so please be sure to check out some of his most-recent columns . We'll also carve out time to talk about how things are going with your midterm ERA articles, if needed. Required Reading/Viewing: “ The Crisis in Covering Indian Country ” by Jenni Monet, Columbia Journalism Review “ Bringing Native American Stories to a National Audience ” by Jon Marcus, Neiman Reports “ This Is What Latinos Think Everyone Got Wrong About El Paso ” by Adrian Carrasquillo, Politico “ Why Don’t Newsrooms Diversity Initiatives Work? Blame Journalism Culture ” by Kathleen McElroy, Poynter “ When Newsrooms Are Dominated by White People, They Miss Crucial Facts ” by Jelani Cobb, The Guardian “ The Modern New

Are non-traditional media better at handling issues of identity, race and gender, or are they making things worse by reinforcing harmful ideas and stereotypes? Let’s talk about social media, blogs, chat groups, non-mainstream outlets, non-news outlets, the late night talkies, comic books and graphic novels. Required Reading/Viewing: “ Are We Racist? A Family’s Conversation, Illustrated ” by Mira Jacob, The Guardian “ 37 Difficult questions from my Mixed-Race Son ” by Mira Jacob, Buzzfeed “ Is Twitter the Underground Railroad of Activism? ” by Feminista Jones, Salon “ A Conversation on Race ,” The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Peruse: “ Just My Boy ” blog by Elle White Peruse: “ African American News ” on Breitbart “ Equal Rights Amendment ,” Last Week Tonight With John Oliver “ The Thing About Safety ” by Ijeoma Oluo “ Three Great Innovations That Show Gender Fluidity Has Become Mainstream ” by Andrea Cheong, Foresight Factory “ Why I’m Writing Captain America ” by Ta-Nehis

What's the media's role in shaping national history? Is it significant that the New York Times -- known as "the paper of record" -- published this project instead of another print publication? Did it have a different impact in print than it would have as a broadcast or cable news report? Was this project a public service or political propaganda? Required Reading/Viewing: " The 1619 Project " by The New York Times and the Pulitzer Center (print version). There is A LOT here. Please be sure to read Nikole Hannah-Jones' essay "The Idea of America" (pages 14-26), the poem by Yusef Kommunyakaa (page 29), the poem by Eve L. Ewing (page 42), "Undemocratic Democracy" by Jamelle Bouie and the profiles in the "Hope" photo-and-essay feature by Jeneba Adauyom, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Wadzanai Mhute (pages 86 to 93). " The 1619 Project Live Event " by The New York Times,   featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Jamelle Bouie, Ma

Those of you studying advocacy journalism may be interested in this opportunity (if you're not too swamped). Via Call for Papers : Michele Lockhart seeks contributors for her fifth collection of essays, which will analyze the language used by female candidates as they vie to be the 46th President of the United States and first female President of the United States. The book, tentatively entitled Women and their Words: The Rhetoric of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Campaign, examines the prelude to the historic event—Election Day, November 3, 2020—focusing on the women who ran for high office, whether it be Vice-President or President. The primary focus of the book will surround the political discourse of the individuals as demonstrated through speeches, debates, and social media, while taking into consideration visual rhetoric components, such as political ads / signage, and yes, the appearance of the candidate. The interdisciplinary approach lends itself to: rhetoric;

Want to learn more about the Society of Professional Journalists ? Come to an informal meeting with free pizza (what journalist doesn't love free pizza?)... When: Wednesday, Sept. 25, at noon. Where: Holmes 110 Get involved! Leadership positions are available. For more information, please email  Professor Dan Kennedy .

We’ve come a long way since the 2008 race and concerns over whether Sarah Palin was being treated fairly by the media. Or have we? How does the way the media covers race and gender make a difference now, with so many women and a few people of color in the crowded Democratic field? Required Reading/Viewing: Watch the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, Sept. 12. Take note of how often and what kinds of questions are posed to female candidates or candidates of color compared with white males. Notice who gets interrupted, and who is doing the interrupting. Are the moderators allowing all candidates equal time to respond? Who is getting the most time, and on what topics? What are the pundits discussing after the debate? Take notes, and come to class prepared to discuss whether and how race and/or gender affected media coverage, or not. “ Many Say the Press Has Been Too Tough on Sarah Palin ” by Tom Rosentiel, Pew Research Center “ Palin Attacks Media for Her Treatment During

On Monday, Sept. 9, we’ll introduce ourselves to one another, and talk a bit about the differences between race and ethnicity, and between gender and sex. Is the media doing a good job of making the distinctions? Required Reading/Viewing: “ The Year We Obsessed Over Identity ” by Wesley Morris, The New York Times “ Why Identity Matters ” The Critical Media Project “ What We Can Learn from an Indonesian Ethnicity that Recognizes Five Genders ” by Sharyn Graham Davies, The Conversation