Friday, August 02, 2013. Last Update: Thu 2:56 PM EST

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Articles by Jennifer Vanasco | Email the Author

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Coverage missteps on DOMA and Prop 8

When the Supreme Court issued two gay marriage-related decisions Wednesday, a rush to coverage meant a loss of precision

The most common errors I saw in the first day of stories about the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decisions were... More

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Gay marriage coverage mostly supportive

Though almost half of Americans oppose same-sex nuptials, coverage covers supporters 5-to-1, says a new Pew study

This likely won't come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the same-sex marriage battle as it rolls... More

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On covering same-sex marriage

Here are some takeaways from last week’s panel, moderated by the author

On Wednesday, CJR and the ACLU co-hosted a panel at Washington, DC's Newseum on how journalists can better cover same-sex... More

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More than just marriage

A guide to covering other issues that affect the LGBT community

There's been a diversity of gay news this month covered in the major media, from the rash of NYC hate... More

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Social minority issues in perspective

Recent stories that flesh out important topics

The media covers social minorities regularly in the daily churn of news. A lot of that coverage just skims the... More

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When only The Onion tells it like it is

Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna, and most “real” outlets keep overlooking it

The parody newspaper The Onion isn't a news organization, of course. But once in awhile, it tells a truth that... More

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How not to report on a transgender victim

Cemia Acoff identified as a woman in life and should have been in death, too

Sometime between the end of March and the end of April, an Ohio transgender woman was brutally murdered--she was stabbed... More

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Where is the media on ENDA?

An important bill that would protect gay workers from discrimination gets little media coverage

A bill that is crucial to the civil rights of the LGBT community was reintroduced in both houses of Congress... More

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In marathon explosion coverage, avoid premature accusations

It’s easy to assume the perpetrator is muslim, but that’s a harmful thing to do

We don't know yet who planted the Boston Marathon bombs. Maybe it was a crazy loner. Maybe it was someone... More

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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

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

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Tidbits in the news

Quick takes on social minorities in the recent news cycle

It seems like every day in the news cycle there is a fascinating tidbit I'd like to cover in Minority... More

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Dismal Steubenville coverage

The media can, and must, do better when covering assaults

It isn't just CNN. Over the past few days, there has been a lot of anger directed at the cable... More

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More women are needed in investigative journalism

It’s time for the media to counteract institutional barriers to women’s entry in the field

In a recent blog post, Lyra McKee tells a story that took place at a feminist-run charity when she was... More

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Writing about powerful women

The media should stop treating Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer as though they represent their whole gender

Why do we in the media try to make some women standard bearers for all women? That's the problem, really,... More

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Is the Washington Post pro-gay?

If they are, it shouldn’t be at the expense of covering anti-gay individuals

Last week, The Washington Post asked itself an interesting question in a headline: "Is The Post Pro-Gay?" Meaning, does it... More

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Behind AP’s new ‘husband, wife’ guideline

It’s an attempt to fix a perceived slight to married gay couples

The Associated Press did the right thing on Thursday. After a week in which gay reporters, LGBT blogs, gay advocacy... More

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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

Last week, Jim Romenesko published an internal memo from the Associated Press about how to refer to gay and lesbian... More

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A good feting for The Feminine Mystique

But the media should be this evenhanded about feminism all the time

It's long been interesting to me that many writers talk about feminism as having failed, or as no longer mattering,... More

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Koch’s closet

Exploring the former mayor’s legacy must include how his sexual orientation perhaps affected his policies

Ed Koch drew a curtain around his sexual orientation during his life, but after his death, gay writers in the... More

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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

One of the most pernicious stereotypes about gay men is that any one of them might be a pedophile. As... More

Barack Obama: ‘those old times aren’t coming back’

“It used to be there were local newspapers everywhere. If you wanted to be a journalist, you could really make a good living working for your hometown paper”

The Guardian’s editor opens up on Reddit

Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, answered questions in an Ask Me Anything

The (almost) lost speech of Justice Anthony Kennedy

How his insightful remarks about the Constitution inadvertently make the case for a Supreme Court “media pool”

Fox News sues TVEyes for copyright infringement

Says subscription service sells access to its content without permission nor compensation

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