 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Contents on this page were published in the July/August, 1993 edition of the Washington Free Press.
WFP, 1463 E. Republican #178, Seattle, WA -USA, 98112. -- WAfreepress@gmail.com
Copyright © 1993 WFP Collective, Inc.
My employer insists I surrender my constitutional rights in order to preserve my employer's image of neutrality or "objectivity." In other words, I am expected to give up my civil rights to protect their property rights. And I have refused to do this.
I find it ironic that publishers claim to uphold free speech and then try to deny free speech to front-line newsgatherers on the grounds that our activities compromise their "appearance of fairness." But it's more than ironic - it's illegal. It turns the Washington state Constitution on its head and reduces this cornerstone of democratic freedoms to a piece of trade legislation.
[My case also is] about the rights of readers and the obligation of the media to inform the public. When publishers impose edicts against political and community involvement by reporters, they not only violate reporters' rights but also the right of readers to know what is happening in the world. Such edicts are a form of internal censorship; they tailor the news by tailoring the people who report it. They deprive readers of the perspective of reporters who have firsthand knowledge of community issues. They shackle the press by shackling reporters.
My case will expose the lie of "objectivity" and show how it applies only to media workers and not the media owners, how it is used to discriminate against women, gay men and lesbians, people of color and political radicals like myself, whose community involvements are a matter of survival, not a hobby. It's important to remember that radicals and gays were the first to be purged from the media and communications during the McCarthy era.
Media managers are using reporters as scapegoats for their serious loss of credibility. But people are abandoning the media because "objectivity" as defined by media bosses has created news that is lifeless and uninformative, designed to offend the fewest advertisers and reach the most readers.
My case is a test between workers and bosses who would control not just our labor but our thoughts, actions and passions if we let them. My case is evidence of why we need laws protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination - the very law I was working on in Tacoma at the time of my banishment.
This case is important to all members of the working press who are gagged 24 hours a day while their bosses and publishers freely voice their political beliefs and biases and act politically to further their business interests. I believe journalists should have the same non-negotiable democratic rights enjoyed by publishers. Today's division of labor between publisher and reporter should not cause writers to lose their rights while publishers exercise theirs.
This is a fight for the true integrity of journalists and an opportunity to make the common cause with readers for a more responsive and responsible media. A free press requires free reporters - now more than ever.
|
|
|
|
|