The opine is titled after the upcoming Los Angeles Times Press Club panel discussion which will take place next Thursday, February 25.
In regards to the question in the title of this posting, in this writer’s opinion the answer for the most part is no.
Particularly in the case of many of the ”well respected” gay blogs such as Pam’s House Blend, Americablog Gay,Box Turtle Bulletin, Joe My God and others. One only has to read their blogs when covering events, either on scene or starting with mainstream media sources and then putting their own bias spin on news, just as FOX News does in their “news reporting”.
When I decided to “provide coverage” of the Prop 8 trial last month I opted to use the mainstream press for a next day “briefing” of what took place and with no commentary, unless clearly labeled as such as is this posting.
And there in lies the problem with a great many LGBT blogs and even websites. What passes for “news” is in fact commentary, biased of course with the LGBT slant. And nothing wrong with that, each publisher should decided how and in what form they wish to offer “news”.
But as the Fox News Channel is often slammed for being a news channel with “fair and balanced” reporting, but in actuality presenting news often with a conservative slant and more in the way of opinion, so too are many in the LGBT press, media and the so-called “Citizen Journalist” bloggers, offering news and reporting with their own LGBT bias slant.
Again nothing wrong with that as long as the reader knows and understands that’s what they are going to get for their free ticket on the Internet for news.
We as publishers and writers have our own goals and ideas of how, what and the way we present news which affects or is of interest to the LGBT community, as is clearly written in the Mission Statement of Focus On The Rainbow.
If only more LGBT blogs and websites would do the same, then there would be no question as to their own “fair and balanced” reporting, which is often taken as “gospel” and then spread among other blogs, websites and on some occasions picked up and put into the news stream.
For those in the Los Angeles area who would like to attend the panel discussion, it will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Los Angeles Press Club in the Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., one block west of Vermont Ave., in Los Feliz. (Metro: Vermont/Sunset station). Free parking and refreshments. The discussion is open to everyone.
Here’s the RSVP info – free for members, $10 for non-LA Press Club members, $50 for membership and two tickets for new members.
Have a seat by the campfire boys and girls as I tell you a tale about how one lovely lady and her co-horts in Canada took just about every news organization and a multitude of websites and blogs in the US and around the world for a ride to promote a “dating website” by taking advantage of the outrage over CBS Television accepting an ad from Focus On The Family for the Super Bowl.
It all started this past Thursday, January 28 when FOX News posted this storyon their website written by Hollie McKay, which reads in part, After days of deliberations on whether to run a controversial Super Bowl ad from gay dating site ManCrunch.com, CBS has not yet reached a decision.
For those who may not have been following this great “fiasco of journalism”, the story refers to a website called Man Crunch, “Where Many Many Many Men Come Out to Play”, and how the owners of the website were trying to buy ad time from CBS for the Super Bowl.
Well boys and girls, as they say about a YouTube video, the story went viral. New articles with links to the Fox News story started popping up the same day on mainstream websites such as The Huffington Post, as well as LGBT blogs and websites, among the first was JMG.
Now, what a great many of the postings on blogs and websites have in common aside to a reference to the Fox News story, CBS and Man Crunch, is the “contradiction” by CBS to accept an ad from Focus On The Family, an organization which among other things is anti-gay, and as will end up happening on the 29th, CBS rejecting the ad from Man Crunch.
On Friday the 29th, the story hit, via a tweet from CNBC’s Darren Rovellno, that CBS would not accept the Man Crunch ad and again that story went viral too, this time with the likes of the NY Daily News, the New York Post,CNN and even later Friday evening on the CBS News website, which uses a source for their story, about their own company mind you, The Hollywood Reporter.
Before we break out the marshmallows for roasting and hearing the second part to our tale, I must tell you this.
When this writer first starting coming across the story on Thursday and reading the content of the FOX News article, the built in journalist and former CBS employee antenna went up and I figured something was afoot and not correct, which is why until this posting, there has been no mention of CBS/Man Crunch.
What led me to that observation if you will, and decided not to join the fray of the many, was the information regarding CBS and Man Crunch, the information of which was provided by Man Crunch. Every time “a CBS rep” was written it was done so with no name. Also in some of the articles there was an unsettling contradiction in what CBS was purported to be saying and Man Crunch’s statements and offering of information.
Even the “statement from CBS” as to why the ad would not be accepted was information provided by Man Crunch and again with no names of CBS spokesman or representatives. So needless to say the whole thing didn’t sit right and I opted not to add this blog to the ever growing media taking this all in.
Now you can break out the marshmallows, here’s the second part.
Late Saturday afternoon, January 30, I was doing my ”trip around the block” checking websites/blogs and JMG had another posting about Man Crunch, this one from Friday, and in the comments I noticed one from Jason D, in which he references to a website GayDailyHot (NOTSFW due to gay oriented ads) and a posting which says that Man Crunch is yet another site created by Simone Dadoun-Cohen, the very lovely young lady first mentioned at the beginning of this posting.
GayDailyHot wrote in part, Mancrunch isn’t a LGBT-owned business and it isn’t a “gay dating site” at all.. it’s just the “gay niche” site made by a clueless straight company for publicity.
It appears to be from the same gold-digging skank who brought you Establishedmen, ArrangementSeekers.com and Cougar Life. Those are owned by Simone Dadoun-Cohen, and this is probably just another way for her to manipulate people for money.
This company seems to be just using the gay community’s political strength for some cash. It looks like they made a “gay” commercial they knew would be rejected so the gay community would get angry and generate a lot of free press for them.
So with that in mind, I decided to have a good old fashion look-see. Join me and make up your own mind.
Established Men media contact .. Man Crunch media contact … same phone number, and also look and see how the websites are similar, here and here, on the same, how do the computer geeks call it, framework, and how the FAQ’s and answers are pretty much the same, here and here.
And there you are boys and girls, one smart classy cookie and co-horts up in Canada, who took advantage of the outrage of CBS selling ad time to Focus On The Family. Just who is Simone Dadoun-Cohen ?
ABC News’ Nightline once did a story on her and her website in an article on May 18, 2009 (which the video below is about) and was also mentioned May 13, 2009 in reference to dating sites in an article in the “money section” at the ABC News website, titled, Sugar Daddy Sites Attract Sexual Blackmailers
Have a look at the video to meet the former stripper who has bamboozled CBS plus a host of others around the world, using Focus On The Family, it’s anti-gay sentiment and the outrage of CBS accepting a “pro-life ad” from the group.
Dadoun-Cohen and co-horts have used that hot-button news story to promote a “gay dating service” website with no cost to her or her company while a great many well intentioned people found fault with CBS for creating a double standard in accepting an ad from Focus On The Family and not an ad from a gay advertiser. An ad which most likely wouldn’t have been accepted based on it’s amateurish production alone.
As PT Barnum was purported to have said, “there’s a sucker born every minute“, it would seem Simone Dadoun-Cohen and co-horts have certainly proved that in this little farce of using the passionate feelings against CBS within the LGBT community, and LGBT blog & website publishers and authors/writers, for their own profit, promotion and exploitation, where on one website male customers pay $49 monthly, plus additional fees for extra frills such as sending virtual gifts to, in the words of the website, a “perfect princess.” as was reported in an article back in June of 2009 at the Toronto Sun. Dadoun-Cohen was a York University student earning between $800 and $2,000 a night stripping at a Toronto-based gentleman’s club, a world that completely contrasts her life now as a cushy suburbanite, married with three young children.
I do believe there are a great many lessons to be learned, the least of which for reporters, if it looks like a cow-pie, smells like a cow-pie, it most likely is a cow-pie and best not to step into it.
I learned that lesson the hard way a very long time ago on my great-grandfather’s farm.
Above is a link which shows the clearance report sent to Man Crunch and “signed” by Kristin Bartlett, editor, CBS Program Practices.
The report reads in part, CBS Standards and Practices has reviewed your proposed Super Bowl ad and concluded that the creative is not within the Network’s Broadcast Standards for Super Bowl Sunday. Moreover, our Sales Department has had difficulty verifying your organization’s credit status.
This writer is confident the document is authentic (and not another volley of bamboozlement) as it is similar to one which we used at the CBS Radio Group in Hartford, CT when I worked there in the capacity of national advertising continuity manager.
Mike Bawden of the website Brand Central Station left a comment on this posting today (Monday 2/1/10) in which he also feels the whole Man Crunch/CBS debacle is a sham.
Bawden conducted an interview with a representative of Man Crunch, Dominic Friesen, and posted the interview in its entirety this past Friday January 29. You can read the interview here.
Bawden finished his piece by writing, After all, the outrage we should feel here isn’t about gay dating it’s about the manipulation of an all-to-willing media and people who would rather believe in grand conspiracies and imagined enemies than take the time to think about the messages they’re being fed and how realistic or reasonable they are.
Pam’s House Blend has “promoted” a blog piece by Chino Blanco which shows the video below and several others, now making Utah State Senator Chris Buttars their latest target. Another day in Beanville.
funny how they missed or chose not to use this video, but then it puts Buttars in a good light
While most people who are interested in the political landscape of American are anxious to hear what President Obama will say tonight about health care reform and the economy during his State of the Union address, there’s talk that he may also speak about gays serving in the military.
Speculations started swirling after Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Monday that the White House asked him to postpone an announcement about an upcoming hearing on the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy because the president plans to address the issue.
President Obama made a campaign pledge to repeal the ban and has stated that in a time of war the military can’t afford to lose a single qualified soldier.
Many impatient people in the LGBT community however, have been criticizing the President for not living up to his promise, even though he’s only been in office for a year. Some have said he possesses the power to issue an executive order that would stop the ban, which may be true, but they seem to be forgetting that America is democracy and President Obama is highly unlikely to act on his own as George W. did during his 8 year tenure.
(Note – this commentary was originally published January 21 and has been moved up to today to include David Kaufman’s timely commentary at The Huffington Post)
Having been blogging in various forms going on three years in February and following/reading LGBT blogs, websites and LGBT pundits, yes folks we also have them, it never ceases to amaze me that in spite of the call for equality for LGBTs, if you’re an LGBT Republican you don’t qualify to be a member of “the club”.
I can’t begin to count how many bloggers and members of the LGBT press have taken swipes at the organization Log Cabin Republicans and those who are like minded.
This could account for myself not being brought into “the fold” of many of the LGBT media elites as I have many times, on several blogs, wrote that I am a Republican, both moderate and liberal in thinking, and that President Obama is the first Democrat for president who I have voted for.
If it’s any consolation to those who have now fainted and awaiting the smelling salts, had I been old enough I would have voted for JFK.
However, just because I affiliate my political thinking more to one side than the other doesn’t mean I vote straight ticket. No my friends (thanks John) I often spilt my vote in elections, because you see I vote for the person or at times what is in my best interest as a US citizen, a resident of the Connecticut or the town I live in.
I daresay I have probably voted for more Democrats than Republicans.
I’m what many of the LGBT elitists would call a Judeas.
Oh well, I’ve been called worse in my life.
What brings me to this commentary is two of, and by days end and into Friday most likely more, the elitists who bring to the table the video below of nice guy, but who can be an elitist himself, Michelangelo Signorile who has a talk show on the LGBT channel on XM/Sirius Radio.
The YouTube video is titled “Inside the mind of a gay Scott Brown supporter” and is on the very LGBT elitist blog Americablog Gay and J.M.G. aka Joe My God, in which Joe Jervis author of the blog wrote, “Yes folks, we got us a gay teabagger.”
I write this commentary not for the LGBT readers who know what goes on out in the LGBT blogosphere and media, but for the straight folk who happen by and read FOTR.
Just as within other groups and communities, here in the Rainbow world, you are expected to tote the line and be good little LGBTs without any contradiction to the greater good. Kind of like being assimilated by the Borg if you know what I mean.
And so it is there are times when the LGBT elite can be just as homophobic as Right-Wing Conservatives, which in my book is worse.
With the recent shutting down of Blade and it various entites including a Florida edition, a new paper is getting ready to go to print and published by the original founder of The Express Gay News.
Fort Lauderdale attorney Norm Kent announced today the inauguration of a new GLBT newsweekly, published under the banner of “South Florida Gay News.com”
Nicknamed ‘SFGN,’ Kent said he purposely chose a hard copy newspaper name with a “dot com” in the masthead “in order to accommodate and acknowledge; promote and link the diverse media platforms a 21st century newspaper has to deliver. Our developing website will be up and running this week.”
A South Florida attorney for 30 years, in 1999 Kent founded and published the very first credible GLBT weekly newspaper in Broward County, The Express Gay News. Mr. Kent sold The Express to Unite Media in December of 2003, which then published the paper under the banner of first The Express and then the South Florida Blade, until last month, when the corporation filed for bankruptcy protection in federal district court in Atlanta.
Kent indicated that SFGN will be published and distributed on Mondays, tabloid size, commencing in January of 2010, and over 12,000 copies will be distributed to 300 plus locations in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. The paper will be published on high quality, heavy weight stock by Miami Offset. “We are going to deliver a handsome, local, hometown product, and our service providers will benefit our neighborhood businesses,” Kent stated, faulting the publishers of Unite Media for “losing touch with the community I intended the paper to serve.”
Kent stated that he had signed a lease for the primary newspaper office in the heart of Wilton Manors, at 2520 North Dixie Highway, adjacent to Five Points. The Manors is one of the fastest growing gay communities in the United States. Kent also indicated that “later in the year” there would be a satellite office in Dade County as well. Kent said the first issue of SFGN is expected to be on the streets January 25, 2000, if not sooner.
Kent indicated that he will bring back some of his best feature columnists, who formerly wrote with The Express, along with the popular cartoonists and writers. Correspondents, such as Jesse Monteagudo, formerly with The Weekly News, are already working on features for the debut issue. The paper will include local writers such as Pier Guidugli, established columnists such as Jennifer Vanasco, and nationally known authors such as Wayne Besen. “We are a work still in progress. There are openings for creative talent.”
The web design forSouth Florida Gay News.comwill be handled by Tom Forcella and the newspaper graphics by George Dauphin. News on the website will be updated daily with videos and interactive commentary.
Kent promised that “The bottom line is that we are going to publish a fiercely independent publication, a credible and legitimate weekly newspaper, which will feature topical news, cutting-edge issues, outspoken columnists, and articles capturing the breadth and diversity of gay life.”
Yesterday one of my favorite (and first) blogging friends was on “Hearsay With Cathy Lewis” on radio station WHRV a station in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.
Micheal Hamar who is out and an attorney (and has the blog Michael-In-Norfolk) joined a panel discussion of LGBT issues in that area, Virginia and the US as a whole.
Click here to go to the WHRV radio website and you can click on the player to listen to this excellent hour of LGBT issues.
Hampton Roads’ LGBT Community
We’ve assembled a roundtable of members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)Community here in Hampton Roads to discuss some of the key issues impacting them.
Guests: James L. Parker, President of Hampton Roads Pride, Jon Blair, CEO of Equality Virginia, Attorney Michael Hamar, who specializes in services for LGBT clients, Shannon Bowman, who, along with her partner, was recently denied family membership status at the Mallory Country Club, and Philip Deal, co-founder of GLBTLiveRadio.
I really do hate “acts of self-promotion” as they can often be taken for over inflated egos, but as someone has been good enough to do it, this blog has been nominated for “Best Political” blog at the website Best Gay Blogs.
This blog is in very good company with, Box Turtle Bulletin, Christian LGBT Rights, PageOneQ and ProjectQAtlanta.
I didn’t start this blog when given the opportunity by CT Media/Hearst to win any type of award or recognition, but to highlight some, and certainly not all, LGBT news and add a splash of commentary here and there. There are others who provide much more news and information on a daily basis than Focus On The Rainbow.
However as someone has seen fit to nominate this blog, and no less CT Media/Hearst for having the courage to offer to readers of the CT Post, News-Times, Advocate and Greenwich Time websites Focus On The Rainbow, I would be in an error of judgement not to mention this nomination no matter my personal feelings regarding awards, and then, to deprive CT Media/Hearst some recognition for their achievement in bringing a forum for the LGBT community.
If you wish to vote for this blog or any of the other four contenders you can do so at this link. But please be aware at the website there may be some advertising which may offend some people.
After all, it’s called Best Gay Blogs, not Best Cartoon Blogs.
