Changes to Hate Crime Legislation: a functional and symbolic victory
I met someone named George at a bar recently. As a young boy, he knew of four gay men and a lesbian who were slaughtered in his hometown of Birmingham, AL. I mention their sexual orientation because this is the reason they were killed by a group of heterosexual white males. It was a crime of hate. Only such legal designations didn’t apply, officially, to the crime at the time it was committed, some twenty-odd years ago.
Two of the three murderers served probation for one of the killings. The third served two years of a ten year sentence. The others escaped punishment altogether.
George shared his tale to a group of gay men of various ages and backgrounds, as an illustration of why he thinks the recent passage of the hate crime bill in the US is a necessary triumph.
When we had begun the conversation of this current political event, I’d been generally in favour of the bill -- which exists in a different form in the country I hail from –- but I was “hearing out” what some of the opponents had to say, and in some cases felt partly convinced by them: such an amendment to the federal law favours only some groups, which is antithetical to the concept of true equality; such designations weaken the strength of a minority group, subjecting it to paternalism, when the true objective is to forge a gay identity apart from special considerations and potential subjugation.
But in the end, George’s story spoke volumes more than any of these pointed objections; and here’s why I believe his story (and all that it represents) is the reason the recently passed hate bill is indeed a triumph -- much needed, and long overdue in the fight for equality amongst all citizens of the US, and in the fight for gay rights at large.
On the most literal level, including gay people under the protection of the federal law, only seems logical when you consider the crime statistics against gay men and women as reported by the FBI. According to the FBI, sexual orientation is the third-highest recorded bias crime in the US. (And this doesn’t take into account closeted men and women who do not report their victimization for fear of further violence and alienation.) Including this group as one in need of protection seems necessary when you know that in 2005, 14.2% of bias-based crimes were against homosexuals.
The bill just passed seeks, then, to bring the law in line with reality. After all, who can deny that as a gay man, I’m afraid to walk alone in Toronto’s gay village late at night, when there are only a few other people around. That I pinch my house key between my index finger and my thumb until my fingertips turn white. Gay bashing is a fact. Just as a woman alone at night may be afraid for her life, I fear for mine on many occasions. Though I’ve never inquired, I’d think a heterosexual man walking the same gay neighbourhood alone in the dark would carry an unfamiliar fear with him, lest he be perceived as gay and thus the target of a potential assault based on his mistaken identity.
The passage of hate crimes legislation that protects gay citizens will allow the federal government to provide aid and support to local law enforcement dealing with these crimes nationwide. George’s story illustrates that some states haven’t and still don’t aggressively prosecute crimes against gay men and lesbians. There needs to be uniformity in sentencing, so that a murderer gets more than two years for snuffing out a young person’s life because he thought that person wasn’t really a person, because that person was a boy who liked other boys.
The last way George’s story speaks to the reason this bill is a vindication, requires more of a metaphorical leap, if you will; it comes in the shape of his story -- the retrospective way his story is told. I am forced to picture George as a boy: he was only 12 at the time of the murders in his hometown. A young boy with sexual desires that he knows are contrary to the norm and against what is accepted, watches the evening news with his family and learns that a group of gay people were violently murdered. He perceives the disinterest of his older brother and father; perhaps his conservative father even says something like, “good riddance.” In the months that follow, the crime is prosecuted. The murderers are let off easy, to say the least. The value of the stolen lives -- as far as this young gay boy can tell -- is worthless because they were like him, they were gay.
This is the power of law. It shapes a society and its constituents, one by one. Laws are symbolic as much as they are functional. The new bill just passed now has the power to include gays under the hate crime protection laws -- and in so ding it will be declaring that the US, a country that prides itself on civil freedoms, a country that serves as a leader of every nation, defends all the people that comprise its citizenry. Even the confused and frightened young man who sits up in his bedroom, feeling excluded, unsafe and alone.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Balance
The PR profession is notoriously busy—long hours and unpredictable schedules. So if you’re also a fiction writer, is it possible to balance both successfully? Well of course it is possible—few things aren’t—but how many people actually do it? Terry Fallis is a recent example of someone who does PR and writes fiction. Martin Waxman is another. And I’m sure there are countless other examples like these out there. I’m heartened every time I hear about a person who is successful in multiple arenas: and I marvel at the idea that these people find the time (because writing a novel is so time-consuming!) to work full-time, carry on personal lives (friends, family, sports) and write books.
I do media relations for the Writers & Editors Network in Toronto. As the name implies, WEN is a group of writers and editors of various levels of experience who get together for readings and workshops, to learn and to network. Working for this group is a perfect experience for someone like me—someone who is truly passionate about public relations and who also has creative writing habits. I leave our monthly meetings reinvigorated about my career in PR, and equally inspired to write creatively despite the demands of a busy work life. Today’s guest speaker was an up-and-coming Canadian writer named Anthony De Sa whose new collection of linked stories, Barnacle Love, is earning critical praise and selling like hot-cakes. De Sa finds time to write fiction despite his busy career as the head of the English department at a high school for the arts in Toronto, where he also teaches creative writing workshops, and his busy home life—he is a husband and father of three boys!
I know this blog entry isn’t saying anything terribly earth-shattering—but I had “a moment” today where I felt like the impossible is possible. And maybe my excitement—and reinforced commitment to writing—will rub off on someone who’s feeling beaten-down, tired, overwhelmed. Hard work pays off. Plug away, my fellow scribes.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Young American Muslims Use Social Media to Speak Out
Here’s yet another example to show how—increasingly and especially among the young— social media is the message. Whether you are a huge corporation or a young Muslim who wants to change the public perception of Islam, arenas like YouTube and personal blogs can be used to spread your message.
Today’s New York Times features a story about Ali Ardekani, a 33-year-old Web designer/filmmaker who has taken his mission online. That mission is to start a dialogue for change. To do this, Ardekani optimizes the power of the Internet.
Casting himself in video blogs as the fictional Baba Ali, Ardekani uses humor, satire and irony to rattle stereotypes about Islam and open some uniformed eyes. His shtick is reminiscent of Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat) and the Canadian comic Russell Peters.
Search his moniker on YouTube and you can watch, among many videos, one called “Racism and Pride,” which humorously addresses cultural issues relevant to Islamic youth, such as marrying outside of one’s religion. “Randomly Checked (at the airport)” is another video spoof about…well, I think the title is self-explanatory.
Ardekani is one of the most visual of what the NYT called a “new wave of young American Muslim performers and filmmakers trying to change the public face of their religion.”
Some of these other videos have had over two million hits. For a student filmmaker 10,000 hits is said to be the benchmark of success, suggesting that a video has circulated beyond one’s extended circle of friends, family and colleagues.
Social media has so many useful PR functions: it delivers information, it is visual, it is engaging, it is ubiquitous…all the things anyone with a message longs for. And what’s better, just about anyone with a computer and an idea can take part in the social media revolution.
An added dimension of social media is the ever-present human desire for personal attention that comes with online ventures. I won’t speculate on Ardekani’s motives here, but the offshoot of his online campaign has been something of an offline career as a standup comic, playing clubs across the US. All told, Ardekani can be seen as something of a brand, now integrating offline appearances into the marketing mix.
Today’s New York Times features a story about Ali Ardekani, a 33-year-old Web designer/filmmaker who has taken his mission online. That mission is to start a dialogue for change. To do this, Ardekani optimizes the power of the Internet.
Casting himself in video blogs as the fictional Baba Ali, Ardekani uses humor, satire and irony to rattle stereotypes about Islam and open some uniformed eyes. His shtick is reminiscent of Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat) and the Canadian comic Russell Peters.
Search his moniker on YouTube and you can watch, among many videos, one called “Racism and Pride,” which humorously addresses cultural issues relevant to Islamic youth, such as marrying outside of one’s religion. “Randomly Checked (at the airport)” is another video spoof about…well, I think the title is self-explanatory.
Ardekani is one of the most visual of what the NYT called a “new wave of young American Muslim performers and filmmakers trying to change the public face of their religion.”
Some of these other videos have had over two million hits. For a student filmmaker 10,000 hits is said to be the benchmark of success, suggesting that a video has circulated beyond one’s extended circle of friends, family and colleagues.
Social media has so many useful PR functions: it delivers information, it is visual, it is engaging, it is ubiquitous…all the things anyone with a message longs for. And what’s better, just about anyone with a computer and an idea can take part in the social media revolution.
An added dimension of social media is the ever-present human desire for personal attention that comes with online ventures. I won’t speculate on Ardekani’s motives here, but the offshoot of his online campaign has been something of an offline career as a standup comic, playing clubs across the US. All told, Ardekani can be seen as something of a brand, now integrating offline appearances into the marketing mix.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Facts or Bust: What the Novice PR Person Needs to Know. Advice from a NYT Journalist.
Cindy Price writes regularly for the Travel and Leisure section of The New York Times. In her career, she has covered a wide range of topics for The New York Times Magazine, Gotham, FHM, The New Leader, and FreeWilliamsburg.com. But her road to the “big leagues” was not paved in gold. “I had my share of struggles. I could get work doing stories for small papers here and there, and that helped build my references, sure, but when I tried pitching The New York Times, they were like, `and you are?’”
Price is referring to her first attempt at having The Times publish a story about the independent documentary, Capturing the Friedmans. To build her story, Price had tried pitching Friedman’s publicist, Dawn Daniels, but without a reputation to back her, Price had a hard time gaining headway. In fact, her first encounter with Daniels was acrimonious, to say the least. But a serendipitous turn of fate—and the sudden interest of The Times—changed the course of Price’s career. Using The Times as leverage, Price called Daniels again, and their working relationship swiftly became productive.
This anecdote speaks to the trials of the novice journalist. Without a solid reputation to back her, seeking the co-operation of a PR person had put Price in a vulnerable position. “Once you have built a name for yourself, you can stand with more confidence when calling to dig for stories.”
For the most part, when asked to explain her working relationship with PR, Price had positive things to report. Price finds herself partial to those who come to her as journalists, “those who talk and think like serious reporters of facts.” She is turned off by the PR representative who clearly has an agenda, who she feels is using her to hock their products. While she is savvy to the reality that most PR is about self-promotion, she appreciates those professionals who are fact-centered, possessing a degree of journalistic integrity.
As well, she is more inclined to work with the PR person who has good social skills and respects her privacy as a journalist. “I don’t like PR people who micromanage and I don’t want you to shove your agenda down my throat. I’ll usually take the PR pitch and feed off it—going off on my own story inspired by a news release. And of course, I will reference them and their product in the end, should that be the case, but for the most part I only use press releases or PR calls as resources for my own ideas.”
The distance Price keeps from PR practitioners, noted by her skepticism of agendas, is reinforced by The Times’s ethics guide, which steers journalists away from relying too heavily on PR. For example, journalists for The Times are not allowed to accept extravagant promotions from PR professionals, Price says.
When asked whether she contacts PR professionals or vice versa, she says that in the beginning of her career, she had to contact them. But once she had built a name for herself, there came a “tipping point…and the PR people started calling me.”
Indeed, Price sees PR as critical when it comes to developing sources: finding out facts, details, etc. She then tends to go on and develop her own sources from there. “Many journalists I know are sometimes lazy, and go right off the press release, but I prefer to do it myself.” Price says she has friends who are in PR, who will often see their press releases printed almost verbatim and published under a journalist’s name. That is not a practice Price agrees with, and certainly not one she engages in.
When researching and writing her stories, Price relies heavily on the search engine Google. She uses first person accounts, through interviews and archival sources at the newspaper she works for, as well as the old-fashioned use of libraries, Lexis-Nexis, microfilm and microfiche, librarians' know-how, media archives, the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting office in NYC, and books.
On the topic of newsworthiness, Price qualifies that what makes a story newsworthy for her may not be the same as what it is for a journalist writing on the Iraq war, for example. For Price, “newness” governs a lot of what she deems newsworthy. Being the fist to report on a topic, or to report on a topic that is new, is important. “Take restaurant openings…In my business, you want to be the one to talk about it first. That’s always important to me. So I do a lot of research to make sure the topic or story hasn’t been covered already. PR helps me here, to know what’s new.” Price also looks for a cultural twist to make her story newsworthy. A celebrity chef at a restaurant opening is more newsworthy than a regular opening.
When commenting on her perception of the media in society, Price paraphrases a line from the movie Spiderman: “Media is the weight,” she says. The media is powerful, “and with power comes responsibility. Even as a so-called fluffy journalist, it’s important to be correct and fair and honest,” according to Price. Correctness and fairness are even more important for stories on the front page, she says.
People’s reputations and livelihoods often rest on Price’s reviews—especially given that she writes for what is arguably the world’s most respected newspaper. “People listen to The Times. I feel like my work—even though it’s not hard-hitting news—is about delivering the truth so that people can make decisions based on my opinions. My readers come to trust me and I take that very seriously. If you’re going to report negatively on a subject, it better be factual,” she says.
Here, Price repeats that she looks for the facts from her PR contacts, and she shuns the hyperbole and the propaganda. PR is often her touch-stone for facts, dates and numbers. She expects her PR contacts to be scrupulous. And her employer expects her work to be flawless when it comes to the facts.
When talking with Cindy Price, I was overwhelmed by her emphasis on the importance of facts and truth in reporting. Of course, I know that the facts are the cornerstone of all reporting, but I was struck by how present this was in every aspect of Price’s discussion of her job. Facts seemed to be the trope that governed our interview. It was useful for me to hear how seriously reporters take their jobs and their research. As a PR professional, I will strive to deliver newsworthy facts to journalists. Price seems turned off by the PR person who is not on top of his game, whose facts are sloppy and whose agenda overrides his understanding of the journalist’s job. It is important that the PR professional fully appreciates that journalists expect to deliver news that is topical, timely, and relevant. If you understand this, you can design your pitches and media communications accordingly.
Facts lend to credibility and that’s what the whole news enterprise is about. The media wants to be a credible source of news, so that readers rely on the media for the truth; and as PR professionals, we want the media to maintain this reputation of reliability, so that when they report on our products, we can share this reputation by association. This carries more weight, in my opinion, than any advertisement could carry.
This lesson is invaluable to the budding PR practitioner. To avoid the wrath of journalists and the pernicious reputation of PR as a scourge, we as PR representatives must strive for professionalism, and the high standards set by working journalists.
Price is referring to her first attempt at having The Times publish a story about the independent documentary, Capturing the Friedmans. To build her story, Price had tried pitching Friedman’s publicist, Dawn Daniels, but without a reputation to back her, Price had a hard time gaining headway. In fact, her first encounter with Daniels was acrimonious, to say the least. But a serendipitous turn of fate—and the sudden interest of The Times—changed the course of Price’s career. Using The Times as leverage, Price called Daniels again, and their working relationship swiftly became productive.
This anecdote speaks to the trials of the novice journalist. Without a solid reputation to back her, seeking the co-operation of a PR person had put Price in a vulnerable position. “Once you have built a name for yourself, you can stand with more confidence when calling to dig for stories.”
For the most part, when asked to explain her working relationship with PR, Price had positive things to report. Price finds herself partial to those who come to her as journalists, “those who talk and think like serious reporters of facts.” She is turned off by the PR representative who clearly has an agenda, who she feels is using her to hock their products. While she is savvy to the reality that most PR is about self-promotion, she appreciates those professionals who are fact-centered, possessing a degree of journalistic integrity.
As well, she is more inclined to work with the PR person who has good social skills and respects her privacy as a journalist. “I don’t like PR people who micromanage and I don’t want you to shove your agenda down my throat. I’ll usually take the PR pitch and feed off it—going off on my own story inspired by a news release. And of course, I will reference them and their product in the end, should that be the case, but for the most part I only use press releases or PR calls as resources for my own ideas.”
The distance Price keeps from PR practitioners, noted by her skepticism of agendas, is reinforced by The Times’s ethics guide, which steers journalists away from relying too heavily on PR. For example, journalists for The Times are not allowed to accept extravagant promotions from PR professionals, Price says.
When asked whether she contacts PR professionals or vice versa, she says that in the beginning of her career, she had to contact them. But once she had built a name for herself, there came a “tipping point…and the PR people started calling me.”
Indeed, Price sees PR as critical when it comes to developing sources: finding out facts, details, etc. She then tends to go on and develop her own sources from there. “Many journalists I know are sometimes lazy, and go right off the press release, but I prefer to do it myself.” Price says she has friends who are in PR, who will often see their press releases printed almost verbatim and published under a journalist’s name. That is not a practice Price agrees with, and certainly not one she engages in.
When researching and writing her stories, Price relies heavily on the search engine Google. She uses first person accounts, through interviews and archival sources at the newspaper she works for, as well as the old-fashioned use of libraries, Lexis-Nexis, microfilm and microfiche, librarians' know-how, media archives, the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting office in NYC, and books.
On the topic of newsworthiness, Price qualifies that what makes a story newsworthy for her may not be the same as what it is for a journalist writing on the Iraq war, for example. For Price, “newness” governs a lot of what she deems newsworthy. Being the fist to report on a topic, or to report on a topic that is new, is important. “Take restaurant openings…In my business, you want to be the one to talk about it first. That’s always important to me. So I do a lot of research to make sure the topic or story hasn’t been covered already. PR helps me here, to know what’s new.” Price also looks for a cultural twist to make her story newsworthy. A celebrity chef at a restaurant opening is more newsworthy than a regular opening.
When commenting on her perception of the media in society, Price paraphrases a line from the movie Spiderman: “Media is the weight,” she says. The media is powerful, “and with power comes responsibility. Even as a so-called fluffy journalist, it’s important to be correct and fair and honest,” according to Price. Correctness and fairness are even more important for stories on the front page, she says.
People’s reputations and livelihoods often rest on Price’s reviews—especially given that she writes for what is arguably the world’s most respected newspaper. “People listen to The Times. I feel like my work—even though it’s not hard-hitting news—is about delivering the truth so that people can make decisions based on my opinions. My readers come to trust me and I take that very seriously. If you’re going to report negatively on a subject, it better be factual,” she says.
Here, Price repeats that she looks for the facts from her PR contacts, and she shuns the hyperbole and the propaganda. PR is often her touch-stone for facts, dates and numbers. She expects her PR contacts to be scrupulous. And her employer expects her work to be flawless when it comes to the facts.
When talking with Cindy Price, I was overwhelmed by her emphasis on the importance of facts and truth in reporting. Of course, I know that the facts are the cornerstone of all reporting, but I was struck by how present this was in every aspect of Price’s discussion of her job. Facts seemed to be the trope that governed our interview. It was useful for me to hear how seriously reporters take their jobs and their research. As a PR professional, I will strive to deliver newsworthy facts to journalists. Price seems turned off by the PR person who is not on top of his game, whose facts are sloppy and whose agenda overrides his understanding of the journalist’s job. It is important that the PR professional fully appreciates that journalists expect to deliver news that is topical, timely, and relevant. If you understand this, you can design your pitches and media communications accordingly.
Facts lend to credibility and that’s what the whole news enterprise is about. The media wants to be a credible source of news, so that readers rely on the media for the truth; and as PR professionals, we want the media to maintain this reputation of reliability, so that when they report on our products, we can share this reputation by association. This carries more weight, in my opinion, than any advertisement could carry.
This lesson is invaluable to the budding PR practitioner. To avoid the wrath of journalists and the pernicious reputation of PR as a scourge, we as PR representatives must strive for professionalism, and the high standards set by working journalists.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Mega Media Moves: Madonna Style
"Hard Candy" landed on CD shelves this week and the attendant product launch is an instructive lesson in modern media blitzing. The day after releasing her new CD, the 49-year-old mother of two got gussied up in leather pants, held a shiny black electric guitar across her chest, and rocked out to a 32-minute sampling of her music. The show—touted as a departure from her costly stadium extravaganzas—attracted throngs of notoriously impatient New Yorkers, some lining up for as many as 60 hours outside the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan for free admission to the quasi-intimate set. For those fans unable to line up on west 52nd Wednesday night, there were other options: MSN broadcasted the concert live on the Internet, Verizon and Vodafone let you watch it on cell phones worldwide, 1,000 tickets were given as freebes to radio and online winners, and 200 tickets were reserved for lucky members of Madonna’s social-networking fan club.
She "worked" the video in the 80s, cashed in on the concert-documentary-book package in the 90s, and in the new millennium she's reaching the audience who drives music industry sales--young people--by partnering with youthful figures like Spears and Timberlake, and following kids to the one place they are sure to be found: cyberspace. It's this kind of media savvy that has allowed Madonna to prolong a career that others said would start to sag like an old woman’s bum by now.
If no longer on the cutting edge of cool, the entrepreneur hasn’t lost her sexiness when it comes to business smarts, making full use of modern technologies to hock her brand of watery pop. The marketing machine behind Madonna still uses the star’s once-racy image as leverage for sales, but where once the force of her success was sexual controversy, now it is pure marketing and PR savvy.
She "worked" the video in the 80s, cashed in on the concert-documentary-book package in the 90s, and in the new millennium she's reaching the audience who drives music industry sales--young people--by partnering with youthful figures like Spears and Timberlake, and following kids to the one place they are sure to be found: cyberspace. It's this kind of media savvy that has allowed Madonna to prolong a career that others said would start to sag like an old woman’s bum by now.
If no longer on the cutting edge of cool, the entrepreneur hasn’t lost her sexiness when it comes to business smarts, making full use of modern technologies to hock her brand of watery pop. The marketing machine behind Madonna still uses the star’s once-racy image as leverage for sales, but where once the force of her success was sexual controversy, now it is pure marketing and PR savvy.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
