by E. Ross
Someone is making dirty Internet-based attacks on an Alaskan democratic candidate for senate, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported on Monday:
The addresses direct viewers to either a fake blog, a San Francisco-based gay lifestyle site or a merchant selling items imprinted with the phrase "Trust Fund Baby." The implication is that [he] is a rich California liberal — otherwise known as an Outsider.
Actually, the implication is that he's a rich 'queer' Outsider.
One of the fake addresses redirects to CastroOnline.com: "Your Online Guide to Gay San Francisco" with business listings, a calendar of events, and articles from SF Spectrum, an LGBT publication that reports news, entertainment and information for the gay community in the SF Bay Area.
The political attacks include a second fake address that redirects to a gay site, which the News-Miner didn't describe. The address goes to Only in San Francisco: The Official Visitor's Site for San Francisco. But it doesn't redirect to the home page of the city guide - it goes to Itinerary 6: Queer Culture Tour.
The attacks are specifically anti-gay, not just anti-Outsider.
This attempt to harm a politician's reputation by falsely linking his campaign to gay web sites was exposed during the same week that Alaskans were debating the participation of local students in Day of Silence, a national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name calling and harassment by highlighting the voices that are silenced by prejudice.
The News-Miner article did not discuss the anti-LGBT aspect of the attacks. Instead, the author brought attention to his own lack of awareness by describing the destination page as a "gay lifestyle site."
If a gay news site posts news, and a gay events site lists events, what does a gay lifestyle site post? Fashion tips?
Castro Online is a community guide and the online home for a news magazine - similar to the News-Miner's web site for posting articles, ads and events relevant to Fairbanks. Does that make newsminer.com a Fairbanks lifestyle site?
The Anchorage Press didn't have the News-Miner's problem describing a gay web site. They published the story first and wrote that the fake site redirects to "CastroOnline.com, a San Francisco calendar and information guide for the LGBT community."
The News-Miner changed it to a "gay lifestyle site" in their article posted five days later. The next day, the Juneau Empire described the sites as "pages associated with gay culture in San Francisco." Awkward, but accurate.
So what happened at the News-Miner? They report a story about an anti-gay smear campaign, but they barely acknowledge the anti-gay aspect and instead refer to the gay community as a lifestyle.
Perhaps our journalists should take a Day of Silence to highlight the lack of good quality news reports on LGBT issues in Alaska.
5 comments:
i appreciate that you thought the way i phrased what those sites are was correct, but i don't think R.A. Dillon was remiss in his article. when the two of us were on Dan Fagan's radio show a few days ago, i pointed out that they weren't just SF sites, that they were insinuating Ethan was gay, despite facts to the contrary. i brought it up again on-air with jake metcalfe yesterday morning on KUDO. so, i'm not sure who 'our journalists' that should take a day of silence are, but you ought not to think that we missed the fact that the perpetrator was using LGBT sites to smear berkowitz. cheers.
brendan joel kelley
anchorage press
bjk@anchoragepress.com
Thank you for mentioning the LGBT aspects of the issue on the radio. I didn't catch the local shows, but I did see the articles - the written records that were printed in the newspapers read by most Alaskans, and posted on the web for long term access by everyone. In my opinion, the articles glossed over the fact that the smear was primarily anti-gay, and missed the connection to other recent events involving negative views of minority groups.
In Dillon's article, his only mention of the gay site included a condescending buzzword instead of an accurate description. Why?
Brendan,
I looked for clips of the radio shows you mentioned, and found one on Alaska Report that includes your called-in questions to Jake Metcalfe. Near the end of the clip, you point out that the redirect pages are not just San Francisco sites but gay sites. Then Metcalfe replies that the sites are "outrageous." Sigh. The sites are ordinary gay news and travel sites - the outrageous part is the redirect smear. Anyway, you did point out the LGBT issue - it's right there in the public record, as audio. Thank you.
Why was Berkowitz offended and felt his family's space had been violated by the re-directs?
Is there a consensus that he felt his family space was invaded by the gay content; or was it by the inaccuracy of the information regarding his personal life and/or background?
I saw him on KTUU last week, but can't locate the video of him being outraged, to clear this up. Nor can I locate a transcript of his KTUU remarks.
I'm getting e-mails from friends who are Berkowitz supporters who feel it is the former, and I'm reluctant to jump in past pointing out to them that Ethan was the one who brought mention of his family into the discussion.
I suppose he was offended because it was meant as an insult, and it's the kind of insult that can have consequences, even when it's not true.
Scannell dragged the campaign down to the level of name-calling, and that's offensive too.
It's also offensive that gay people were used as a political weapon.
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