Friends Don’t Let Friends Spin Them

By Kenneth Jost Ronald Reagan reminded us, “Trust, but verify.” Poker players know, “You trust your mother, but you cut the cards.” For journalists – gay, straight, bi, transgender or whatever – one corollary might go like this: “Friends don’t let friends spin them.” That’s what appears to have happened to some of the best [...]

UPDATED: Resources for Reporting on the Ninth Circuit’s Prop 8 Ruling

UPDATE II: Analysis is beginning to pour in.  For a good, meaty explanation of the legal issues, check out Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSBlog.  Another thorough look, including the background, is from Chris Geidner at MetroWeekly. For a conservative take on the ruling, read Ed Whelan at National Review’s Bench Memos. A quick list of immediate [...]

Media Moves to Block Gag Order in High-Profile Trial

Three media entities–including a gay-run blog and the parent company of hyperlocal TBD.com–have filed a motion to intervenee to challenge a gag order imposed in the civil trial of three gay men in DC who are accused in the wrongful death of a heterosexual man found dead in the home of the men who were [...]

“God Hates Fags” and Free Speech

Unless you are living under a rock, you probably know that Fred Phelps believes “God Hates Fags.”  Today, his right to say that at funerals–specifically, in this case, dead servicemembers’ funerals–finds its way to the Supreme Court in the case Snyder v. Phelps. The case has attracted a lot of attention and its worth looking [...]

NLGJA Stylebook: “Sodomy”

NLGJA’s Stylebook Supplement on LGBT Terminology is intended to complement the prose stylebooks of individual publications, as well as the Associated Press stylebook, the leading stylebook in U.S. newsrooms. It reflects the association’s mission of inclusive coverage of LGBT people and includes entries on words and phrases that have become common. The Stylebook Supplement was [...]