Media Matters, a team of Hillary Clinton sycophants, is out with a new absurd way of thinking.
Journalists must never “violate” the guidelines set by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) when writing stories about transgender people.
“The Kansas City Star identified Dominguez as a ‘man’ in its initial report on the murder — violating GLAAD and Associated Press guidelines and contributing to the widespread problem of misgendering transgender victims of violence in local news reports,” wrote Media Matters.
Since when does GLAAD, a well-intentioned group, govern the journalism industry?
Media Matters leads the story with its tits, showing a busty photograph of a woman (at least she resembles a woman by her chest size), front and center. Media Matters writer Carlos Maza makes the case that some media outlets have “bad excuses” for “misgendering” transgender “victims of violence.”
The piece rails against the Kansas City Star for “misgendering” as well as it’s “shoddy appeals to journalistic integrity.” Maza is incensed that the newspaper referred to a Tamara Dominguez with both her birth name and her “preferred name.”
He reasons that ignoring a person’s gender identity can “hamper” police investigations. “Legal identities do matter, both in trans people’s lives and in reporting the news,” a Kansas City Star editor wrote in an attempt to defend the publication’s coverage.
Forget about legal mumbo jumbo. Media Matters insists transgender people should be identified the way they want to be identified. Even if they’re dead.
“That isn’t an argument for refusing to acknowledge the way they prefer to be identified, especially after their deaths,” whines Maza. “The legitimacy of a transgender person’s identity isn’t contingent on a passport or birth certificate.”
Maza insinuates that journalists can be downright lazy when it comes to finding out a person’s real gender. He says police reports should not be considered valid documents.
“In local news environments that prioritize quick, breaking news reports, stopping to investigate a victim’s gender identity is a lot to ask. And journalists don’t want to incorrectly identify someone as transgender if they aren’t sure,” he writes.
In those cases, insists Maza, journalists should avoid “gendered terminology.”
Good plan.
Let’s let Media Matters and GLAAD decide how the media operates.