Race, Sex, Media

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...