Undated photo of Bradley Manning in wig and make-up
It was an announcement that left typically agile news presenters, reporters and editors stumbling over their words Thursday: The lawyer for Pfc. Bradley Manning told the "Today" show that his client would like to be considered a woman and referred to as Chelsea.
With that, the debate over how to refer to Manning exploded in newsrooms, comments, blogs and Twitter. From the initial interview with Manning's lawyer David E. Coombs, the "Today" host Savannah Guthrie used both references, but many news outlets continued to refer to Manning as "he."
Erin Madigan White, an Associated Press spokeswoman, said the company would follow its own stylebook, which advises journalists to "use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth."
On Thursday night, the AP updated its policy, saying it would use gender-neutral references for Manning and "pertinent background on the transgender issue."
National Public Radio will continue for now to refer to Manning as "he," according to a spokeswoman, Anna Bross.
"Until Bradley Manning's desire to have his gender changed actually physically happens, we will be using male-related pronouns to identify him," she said.
Rich Ferraro, a spokesman for GLAAD, a gay-rights group, said he had been reaching out to news organizations to change their usage. He noted that nearly every major style guide said the media should use the pronoun preferred by the subject.
"All of the media coverage today shows how far behind the media is covering transgender people," said Ferraro, adding that the use of male pronouns "goes against best practices of covering transgender issues."
The New York Times stylebook guides writers typically to refer to a subject in the manner he or she prefers. But Dean Baquet, the managing editor, said in an email: "Generally speaking we call people by their new name when they ask us to, and when they actually begin their new lives. In this case we made the judgment readers would be totally confused if we turned on a dime overnight and changed the name the name and gender of a person in the middle of a major running news story. That's not a political decision. It is one aimed at our primary constituency - our readers."
In a blog post, The Times' public editor, Margaret Sullivan, encouraged The Times to change how it refers to Manning.
"It may be best to quickly change to the feminine and to explain that - rather than the other way around," she wrote.
Some news outlets, like The Huffington Post, did follow Manning's wishes. New York magazine, which also referred to Manning as "she," had an answer to why there had been such a fuss: readers' squeamishness and the divided feelings toward Manning.
"What's the worst that could happen?" it wrote. "She changes her mind and we go back to he? Even the worst-case scenario is so minor it doesn't qualify as a problem."
With that, the debate over how to refer to Manning exploded in newsrooms, comments, blogs and Twitter. From the initial interview with Manning's lawyer David E. Coombs, the "Today" host Savannah Guthrie used both references, but many news outlets continued to refer to Manning as "he."
Erin Madigan White, an Associated Press spokeswoman, said the company would follow its own stylebook, which advises journalists to "use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth."
On Thursday night, the AP updated its policy, saying it would use gender-neutral references for Manning and "pertinent background on the transgender issue."
National Public Radio will continue for now to refer to Manning as "he," according to a spokeswoman, Anna Bross.
"Until Bradley Manning's desire to have his gender changed actually physically happens, we will be using male-related pronouns to identify him," she said.
Rich Ferraro, a spokesman for GLAAD, a gay-rights group, said he had been reaching out to news organizations to change their usage. He noted that nearly every major style guide said the media should use the pronoun preferred by the subject.
"All of the media coverage today shows how far behind the media is covering transgender people," said Ferraro, adding that the use of male pronouns "goes against best practices of covering transgender issues."
The New York Times stylebook guides writers typically to refer to a subject in the manner he or she prefers. But Dean Baquet, the managing editor, said in an email: "Generally speaking we call people by their new name when they ask us to, and when they actually begin their new lives. In this case we made the judgment readers would be totally confused if we turned on a dime overnight and changed the name the name and gender of a person in the middle of a major running news story. That's not a political decision. It is one aimed at our primary constituency - our readers."
In a blog post, The Times' public editor, Margaret Sullivan, encouraged The Times to change how it refers to Manning.
"It may be best to quickly change to the feminine and to explain that - rather than the other way around," she wrote.
Some news outlets, like The Huffington Post, did follow Manning's wishes. New York magazine, which also referred to Manning as "she," had an answer to why there had been such a fuss: readers' squeamishness and the divided feelings toward Manning.
"What's the worst that could happen?" it wrote. "She changes her mind and we go back to he? Even the worst-case scenario is so minor it doesn't qualify as a problem."
© 2013, The New York Times News Service
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