‘Religion Cannot Be Used to Justify Discriminatory Conduct in the Marketplace’
“The law needs to apply the same way to anti-gay religion-based behavior as the Court has said in the past about anti-black or sexist religion-based behavior.”
Jennifer Pizer on Masterpiece Cakeshop Ruling
A “narrow” ruling that should be read mainly as an affirmation of human rights? Or a foot in the door for a legal perspective that argues that demanding equal rights can be construed as constraining the liberties of those who say equal rights are against their religion?
Mary Bottari on Silencing Unions, Margaret Flowers on Undermining Single-Payer
The ability of workers to build collective power is central in Janus v. AFSCME, a case currently before the Supreme Court. We talk about how efforts to weaken workers’ voice masquerade as efforts to strengthen it, and how we can see through them.
Corporate Media’s Soft Spot for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
Almost as soon as Donald Trump won the election last November, corporate media began to concoct a collective narrative that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner would exert a strong moderating influence on the new president.
‘It Shouldn’t Be a Privilege to Use the Internet Safely’
“We can’t have an internet with freedom of expression without also pushing for an internet where we have a basic right to privacy, security and safety.”
‘That Violence Against Our Community Is Often Not Told by Media’
“The actions of the administration just send such a clear message to young people, who are already facing harassment, that this administration does not value them and will not protect their rights.”
Covering the Critics of Conway, Not the Murders of Transgender Women
While there’s a lot to be said about the sexism that professional women face in the workforce, if media are interested in “persistent anger toward women who step outside conventional roles,” more striking examples than Kellyanne Conway come to mind.
Nancy Altman on Trumpcare, Kris Hayashi on Transgender Non-Ruling
What do Trump-backed changes in healthcare mean for the millions of people with disabilities and senior citizens who rely on Medicare and Medicaid?
Trump Didn’t ‘Revoke’ Protections for Trans Students—Because He Can’t
Trump does not have the power to unilaterally change what rights transgender students have. These rights derive from Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972, that bars discrimination based on gender in publicly funded schools, along with a series of federal court rulings,
NYT Protects Its Pundit Who Dismissed Trans Rights as ‘Boutique Issue’
It seems likely that the omission of Frank Bruni’s name—a familiar one, of course, to regular readers of the New York Times op-ed page—was a deliberate choice.
Lashing Out at ‘Identity Politics,’ Pundits Blame Trump on Those Most Vulnerable to Trump
Over the past two weeks, pundits from all ends of the spectrum have been scrambling to explain Clinton’s unexpected loss, with reasons spanning from the plausible to the highly dubious; Lately, a new, entirely bogus culprit has emerged from center and center-left circles: “identity politics” and its close cousin, “political correctness.”
Media’s Debate Agenda: Push Russia, ISIS, Taxes; Downplay Climate, Poverty, Campaign Finance
Russia, ISIS and taxes overwhelmed all other topics during the four presidential and vice-presidential debates, totaling 429 mentions from both candidates and questioners.
Russia, Terror and Taxes Dominate Debates; Climate, Poverty, Abortion Barely Mentioned
A review of topics mentioned and questions asked in the first three presidential/vice-presidential debates shows a significant emphasis on Russia, terrorism and taxes—pushing aside most other issues, including climate change, abortion, education, campaign finance and LGBTQ rights.
Lester Holt Asks Zero Questions About Poverty, Abortion, Climate Change
Presidential debates do as much to showcase corporate media priorities as they do the candidates. They provide a snapshot into what the media, in this case represented by NBC’s Lester Holt, prioritizes as issues worthy of discussion.
‘We Have to Look at How Tolerant We Are of Violence in Homes’
“The reason that we don’t have a good understanding of domestic violence and sexual violence and the role that those play in persistent misogyny and racism is, frankly, because we don’t have a very diverse media.”
‘It Was Important to Center the LGBTQ Latino Community in All of This’
We’re talking here about violence towards people of color, we’re talking about racism, we’re talking about transphobia, we’re talking about homophobia. These are all the systems that are creating constant violence in our communities every day.
Jorge Gutierrez and Soraya Chemaly on Orlando Massacre
While corporate media talked about “radical Islam,” others worked to maintain focus on the victims, with things like a short video from the group Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, featuring people talking about the killings and other violence they face.
When Media Learned Killer’s Ethnicity, Then They Knew to Call It ‘Terrorism’
Once the shooter was identified as Omar Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan descent, the narrative changed. After this South Asian ethnicity was revealed, news media began calling the attack an act of terror.
Media Asking Wrong Questions on North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Law’
Ask not what Springsteen’s boycott will do to North Carolina’s economy–ask how North Carolina intends to inspect people’s birth certificates before letting them use the restroom.
Don’t Say ‘Opposing Gay Rights’ When You Mean Discriminating Against Gays
There are no penalties for opposing same-sex marriage. The full spectrum of First Amendment activities are available to opponents of marriage equality, and require no special defense.
