Author Archive
Articles by Jennifer Vanasco | Email the Author
More than just marriage
A guide to covering other issues that affect the LGBT community
By Jennifer Vanasco May 24, 2013 at 06:50 AM
There's been a diversity of gay news this month covered in the major media, from the rash of NYC hate... More
Social minority issues in perspective
Recent stories that flesh out important topics
By Jennifer Vanasco May 17, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The media covers social minorities regularly in the daily churn of news. A lot of that coverage just skims the... More
When only The Onion tells it like it is
Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna, and most “real” outlets keep overlooking it
By Jennifer Vanasco May 10, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The parody newspaper The Onion isn't a news organization, of course. But once in awhile, it tells a truth that... More
How not to report on a transgender victim
Cemia Acoff identified as a woman in life and should have been in death, too
By Jennifer Vanasco May 3, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Sometime between the end of March and the end of April, an Ohio transgender woman was brutally murdered--she was stabbed... More
Where is the media on ENDA?
An important bill that would protect gay workers from discrimination gets little media coverage
By Jennifer Vanasco Apr 26, 2013 at 06:50 AM
A bill that is crucial to the civil rights of the LGBT community was reintroduced in both houses of Congress... More
In marathon explosion coverage, avoid premature accusations
It’s easy to assume the perpetrator is muslim, but that’s a harmful thing to do
By Jennifer Vanasco Apr 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM
We don't know yet who planted the Boston Marathon bombs. Maybe it was a crazy loner. Maybe it was someone... More
Leave appearance out of it
Because she isn’t currently a candidate, Obama’s remarks didn’t necessarily hurt Kamala Harris. But if she had been running, a new study says that they would have hurt her
By Jennifer Vanasco Apr 12, 2013 at 06:50 AM
I wasn't planning to write about the dust-up after Obama called California's Kamala Harris the country's "best-looking attorney general." After... More
Tidbits in the news
Quick takes on social minorities in the recent news cycle
By Jennifer Vanasco Apr 5, 2013 at 06:50 AM
It seems like every day in the news cycle there is a fascinating tidbit I'd like to cover in Minority... More
Dismal Steubenville coverage
The media can, and must, do better when covering assaults
By Jennifer Vanasco Mar 22, 2013 at 06:50 AM
It isn't just CNN. Over the past few days, there has been a lot of anger directed at the cable... More
More women are needed in investigative journalism
It’s time for the media to counteract institutional barriers to women’s entry in the field
By Jennifer Vanasco Mar 15, 2013 at 06:50 AM
In a recent blog post, Lyra McKee tells a story that took place at a feminist-run charity when she was... More
Writing about powerful women
The media should stop treating Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer as though they represent their whole gender
By Jennifer Vanasco Mar 8, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Why do we in the media try to make some women standard bearers for all women? That's the problem, really,... More
Is the Washington Post pro-gay?
If they are, it shouldn’t be at the expense of covering anti-gay individuals
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 28, 2013 at 02:50 PM
Last week, The Washington Post asked itself an interesting question in a headline: "Is The Post Pro-Gay?" Meaning, does it... More
Behind AP’s new ‘husband, wife’ guideline
It’s an attempt to fix a perceived slight to married gay couples
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 22, 2013 at 06:50 AM
The Associated Press did the right thing on Thursday. After a week in which gay reporters, LGBT blogs, gay advocacy... More
AP’s first usage guidelines on ‘husband, wife’
The new entry comes in response to anger over a memo to avoid the words to describe gay couples
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 21, 2013 at 01:00 PM
Last week, Jim Romenesko published an internal memo from the Associated Press about how to refer to gay and lesbian... More
A good feting for The Feminine Mystique
But the media should be this evenhanded about feminism all the time
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 15, 2013 at 06:50 AM
It's long been interesting to me that many writers talk about feminism as having failed, or as no longer mattering,... More
Koch’s closet
Exploring the former mayor’s legacy must include how his sexual orientation perhaps affected his policies
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 8, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Ed Koch drew a curtain around his sexual orientation during his life, but after his death, gay writers in the... More
Context is crucial covering the Boy Scouts
Mentions of pedophilia fears in stories about potential gay scout leaders should be accompanied by information debunking them
By Jennifer Vanasco Feb 1, 2013 at 11:00 AM
One of the most pernicious stereotypes about gay men is that any one of them might be a pedophile. As... More
Inaugural diversity
When the media employs the term, what does it mean?
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 25, 2013 at 06:50 AM
On Inauguration Day, Americans of all kinds looked for reflections of themselves in the festivities. Did social minorities find one?... More
Time to shatter the ‘glass closet’
It is our job as journalists to treat gay and lesbian celebrities like straight ones
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 18, 2013 at 06:50 AM
Jodie Foster's speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes on Sunday was rambling, puzzling, oblique --... More
The president’s lady problem
News outlets were right to report on Obama’s track record of hiring women, but that’s not the only type of diversity to keep in mind
By Jennifer Vanasco Jan 11, 2013 at 06:50 AM
In her column, Minority Reports, Jennifer Vanasco analyzes how the mainstream media covers social minorities. Maybe Obama needs to borrow... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
What to do if you find a baby bird
Expert advice
Inside Google’s secret lab
We might deplore the practice, but posting pictures of our food online is a way to bring everyone to the table
How the ‘World’s 50 Best’ list changed the way elite restaurants do business
“Every time the restaurant switched up its format, it got plenty of accompanying media coverage that let judges know they needed to return to see what was going on”
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
