I am an Ojibwe woman and a former journalist who has been in the communication field for 24 years, teaching communication for 10 of those years. I teach news writing and introductory mass communication courses in the Communication Department at the
University
of
Louisville.
Experience tells me that from many students’ view, disparaging remarks about Native American and LGBT issues are acceptable in the classroom, despite my disclaimer. My syllabi states, “Students are expected to maintain collegial behavior during class. Students may disagree with each other or the professor but must demonstrate professional behavior and respect the integrity of fellow classmates and the professor. Sexual harassment and discrimination is unacceptable and unlawful conduct that will not be tolerated in the educational environment.”
When I review textbooks for my mass communication class, I look at how authors cover Native American newspapers. If accurate information is provided, I consider the text. If not, then I move on to another resource. Recently, I expanded my scope to include coverage of NLGJA and LGBT issues. In searching for text, I looked in the index for words like “bisexual,” “gay,” “homosexual,” “lesbian,” “transgender” and “NLGJA.”
One of the texts I now use is John Vivian’s “The Media of Mass Communication,” which has been voted the No. 1 book by students across the nation. I have also used Richard Campbell’s “Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication.” However, none of the terms appeared in Vivian or
Campbell
’s index. I do not recall the subject in either text.
The third book I have used is Stanley J. Baran’s “Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture,” and it has produced few results. The banning of books by homosexual authors is referred to in a section on censorship. In the chapter “Media Freedom, Regulations, and Ethics” and under the topic heading “Offensive Content,” the text mentions religious opposition to SpongeBob SquarePants’ supposed promotion of homosexuality. Questions posed refer to protection of content more than LGBT issues. In the “Mass-Mediated Culture in the Information Age” chapter, stereotyping is highlighted in the section titled “What Is Media’s Contribution to Gender and Racial/Ethnic Stereotyping.” The opposite page has pictures from “The L Word,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “Queer as Folk” and “Will & Grace” with approximately 140 words describing the pictures. Issues and problems are not discussed, except with a wrap-up question, “But was television’s ‘evolution’ in its representation of homosexuality a mirror of culture’s already changing attitudes, or did the medium lead that change?”
The black-and-white photographed text I am reviewing, Ralph Hanson’s “Mass Communication: Living In a Media World,” had the best coverage. The newspaper chapter’s “The Gay Press” section extends a full page. The well-written and informative five paragraphs combine historic information with contemporary relevance. The piece focuses on The Washington Blade and the Gay City News, among others. The author asks, “How can a paper represent the interests and concerns of a particular group yet still operate as a profitable commercial venture?” However, Hanson’s newspaper chapter fails to mention the Native American or Asian American press, and it includes only one paragraph on the Spanish-language press.
So, I am left to my own devices. I introduce the significance of LGBT issues in the media through the story of UNITY, Journalists of Color, Inc. I explain the organization’s purpose and how it started. In future courses, I plan to expand this section to ask students the significance of learning about LGBT issues as future communication specialists.
When I teach my newswriting courses, students have more questions. They ask how they should address or identify people of color or LGBT individuals. I relay my own personal experiences and tell them it has always been good policy to allow individuals to self-identify. I ask them if they would want someone identifying or labeling them based on erroneous stereotypes. I eagerly await the day when text books and organizations are inclusive instead of incorporating an “either/or” mentality.
