Following the drag queen threads ...

Here are some links with reporting about drag queens, to help us see more clearly how to report on this community ("she" or "he" on second reference), as follow-up to our discussion last week about "Project Runway":

http://www.365gay.com/opinion/defending-drag-queens/

http://gaynewsbits.com/2008/04/16/tokyos-maid-cafes/

http://gaynewsbits.com/2008/07/24/popular-canadian-cross-dress-store-celebrates-one-year-anniversary/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/28/france.matthewweaver1

http://movies.nytimes.com/person/200711/RuPaul

Grab yer hats, dudes ...

We'll start talking about accents and regional stereotypes tonight, especially as they pertain to news coverage of candidates. Here's something to start our thinking on this topic:

http://blip.tv/file/990887/

When should sexuality be mentioned in news coverage?

An article from the NYTimes about a fashion designer:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/magazine/31pilati-t.html

Coverage of lesbians, gays & transgendered people

For tonight's discussion, a stylebook supplement for news coverage:

http://www.nlgja.org/resources/stylebook.html

and an article from People:

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20129572,00.html

Two links for future discussion

An article about Michelle Obama's speech:
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=149495

An article about (non)diversity and the NY advertising establishment:
http://adage.com/bigtent/post?article_id=128219

A link about summer movies

It would be great to meet for a movie this semester, so be thinking of fall releases and be ready to recommend something. We'll talk about popular entertainment more at the semester's end, but for now, here's PBS commentary for you:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93995425

Welcome to the course

I'm looking forward to thinking about news media, strategic and digital communications, and entertainment media in our class this fall. We'll be following the presidential election and media coverage of the major candidates, through the lenses of race, gender, sexualities and other issues. We'll start that conversation with discussion of editorial cartoonists and their strategies for representing the candidates.

Throughout the semester, please check here at least once a week for helpful links and assignments. Also, we'll have additional discussion here, too, about issues that were introduced in class.

And at the end of the semester, we'll have our usual media smorgasbord, where you bring your media favorites for fun
and scrutiny.