From Eric Hegedus, national president of the 1,300-member National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

A professional sin of omission — the failure to get all the facts by shying away from asking a newsmaker his or her sexual orientation — still clouds the media’s actions. And in the case of Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, the problem becomes far more glaring. Stereotype-drenched speculation, gossip and wink-wink hearsay have taken the place of a sound journalistic practice: Asking the pertinent question. In this case, that question is: “Are you gay?” …

Via news organizations from the New York Times to the San Jose Mercury News, from ESPN.com to the Washington Post, the public was treated to terminology that included, but was certainly not limited to: Flamboyant. Flashy. Whispers. Extravagant. Eccentric. Theatrical. Tinkerbelle. Chihuahuas. Boa. Masculinity. Effeminate. Flaming. Princessy. Female sport. Girly men. Oddballs. Revelation. Coy. Disclosures. Distraction. Tension. Embarrassing. Uncomfortable. Squirming. Fishnets. Prissy. Lifestyle. Gay style.

It’s a lot of flash and stereotypes without substance, all in lieu of posing that obvious question to Weir: “Are you gay?”…

The news media have no problem hounding celebrities (as well as their publicists, friends and enemies) regarding romantic entanglements, alleged or otherwise, as well as other personal details. Think Brad and Angelina, Britney and Kevin, Tom and Katie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Colin Farrell. Even sports figures such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Anna Kournikova and formerly/famously single and sometimes outrageously married Dennis Rodman haven’t escaped the very personal intensity of the media glare. Yet the question “Are you gay?” is still confined to its own little closet, the door seemingly forever closed. It’s perceived to be somehow too personal or potentially shameful to ask.

This “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy only mars our judgment and professionalism, all the while giving our readers, viewers and listeners a degrading, murky and speculative portrait of our subjects.

(Via Romenesko)

Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Public Relations, Media

We don’t know, but at least one Blog Maverick commenter thinks so after Cuban today offered rival Donald Trump $1 million to “pull a rubber glove completely over his head and blow it up” on NBC’s Deal or No Deal.

What can you say about Cuban? He obviously wants attention; it makes him happy. And he’s able to get the attention he wants.

Same for Paris Hilton. Is it her fault people snap up every magazine she appears in at the newsstand? Nope. As assiduously as Hilton’s rapidly changing band of publicists work, there are lots of other publicists working just as hard to come up with six inches in Life & Style for some Paris also-ran.

That’s why neither Cuban nor Hilton will be making Media Orchard’s list of the “Five Most Attention-Starved Celebrities,” which we’ll be unveiling later this week. If you have a suggestion for the list, please e-mail us.

From the AP:

A conference sponsored by a group that argues whites are superior to blacks is being held this weekend at the Dulles Hyatt, prompting criticism of the hotel chain for hosting the event.

The American Renaissance conference is being held at the hotel in Herndon. It’s sponsored by the New Century Foundation, based in Oakton. Its leader, Jared Taylor [pictured], says the white race is losing its identity in America due to multiculturalism and immigration…

A group of student activists at George Mason University has tried unsuccessfully to get the Hyatt to shut its doors to the conference, which it has hosted in previous years…

Hyatt spokeswoman Lori Armon said the opinions of those at American Renaissance don’t necessarily reflect those of Hyatt Dulles or its parent company. But she says the company does not “discriminate against guests or organizations with which our guests are affiliated.”

We’re not sure that Hyatt did anything wrong here; as long as a group is nonviolent, it’s pretty tricky to begin excluding organizations on the basis of their views, however repugnant.

But it’s a different story when protesters make it a PR issue.

We predict American Renaissance will have its event somewhere else next year — as long as the George Mason students keep up the pressure. And that’s fine; it’s what peaceful protest is all about.

(Oh, and as for the Denny’s reference — we know it’s not analogous, but at least it’s gratuitious.)

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing

Here’s the pitch. Kevin and Todd, you decide on the quality. We’ll probably try it out.

Just curious who else is doing this?

Hi,

The Sprint Ambassador Team recently visited Ideagrove.com and wants to invite you to participate in our Ambassador Program.

The Sprint Ambassador Program is all about exploring our latest products and services and allows you to give direct feedback to Sprint. We recently launched the Sprint Power Vision (SM) Network and want to provide you with the full experience, at no charge. Sprint Power Vision Network enables customers to download data at faster speeds and experience new data products.

So what’s the deal?

As a qualified participant, we will send you one Sprint Power Vision phone and provide you with six months of all-access service (at no charge). You’ll have access to the Sprint Music Store(SM) live TV broadcasts, gaming and more. Yes, you will also have unlimited free calling and data service. It’s a pretty good deal and all we ask for in return is your candid feedback (you decide how much and how often).

Register at: http://ambassador.sprint.com/
You will need your unique registration code: [noneya]

If you have questions regarding the registration process or the program, please email us at AmbassadorProgram@sprint.com

We look forward to receiving your registration!

The Sprint Ambassador Team

Technorati tags: Sprint, Public Relations, Marketing