SheWired spoke with web series star Cathy DeBuono (We Have to Stop Now is currently in its second season) about how important it is to be FAIR and balanced in mainstream media when dealing with a civil rights movement like the one the LGBT community is currently undertaking.
“I was watching the news while waiting to hear if Judge Walker was going to lift the stay on gay marriage in California or have it remain in place and they were showing some footage of some folks in the streets and stuff.” Debuono continued, “What they showed over and over and over and over again were the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This is what mainstream media does when we’re talking about civil rights in a courtroom case. The images do not represent what is going on here.”
Feeling annoyed and frustrated with mainstream media and its irresponsible depiction of our every day lives, DeBuono tweeted the following on her official Twitter page:
“Dear Main Stream Media, Gay & Lesbian does not = bearded man in nun outfit (ie. The 'Sisters') Could you gain some social awareness please?”
DeBuono added, “I could celebrate the outrageous just like the next guy. I think it’s wonderful. However, when we’re fighting for our rights and when the problem is that the mainstream folks out there can’t identify with gay people -- they don’t understand us, they think we’re freaks and weird -- they think we are going to change the world somehow. The mainstream media needs to understand that we are fighting for our rights here. They are not helping any by not allowing the mainstream folks out there to get to know people that they can identify with. Like, I met my ex-veterinarian there with his husband and three children. The media does not even recognize a family like that. Instead, they choose to interview the gay cowboy in front of the bar.”
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One observant and pro-active journalist spotted DeBuono’s plea to the mainstream media and decided to take it upon herself to do something about it. Nanci Francis opened up her laptop, wrote an article on The Examiner and initiated a pledge called FAIR IS FAIR. The Pledge basically exists by asking mainstream journalists to visit the Facebook site, click “Like” and write on the page’s wall stating that they are taking the pledge. When DeBuono caught wind of the journalist’s efforts, she offered to stand behind Francis and spread the word about FAIR IS FAIR.
Francis told SheWired exclusively, “What I hope to achieve is as simple as the Pledge itself. I would really love to see all mainstream media not only cover LGBTQ issues regularly, but to also do it in a responsible, fair and accurate manner. During these times of Proposition 8 and the recent decision of it being unconstitutional, now more than ever we need accurate and FAIR coverage.”
Sign the FAIR IS FAIR Pledge by writing on the official Facebook wall here: FAIR IS FAIR Community Page.
You can also read more on this subject from Cathy via her new blog post here: FAIR IS FAIR: Mainstream media responds to a Twitter call to action for responsible LGBT news coverage.
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