Fa’afafine to consult with media on coverage

SAMOA - The Samoa Fa’afafine Association(SFA) is organising a media summit this week in an effort to have fair, accurate, and inclusive news coverage of their issues and stories in the media in the future.

The consultation will address terms and references in news coverage on Fa’afafine/Fa’atamaloa (LGBT) has been organized in collaboration with the National Media Association of Samoa – JAWS.

In a statement, SFA said fair, accurate and inclusive news media coverage played an important role in expanding public awareness and understanding of LGBTQ people.

“However, many reporters, editors and producers continue to face challenges covering LGBTQ issues in a complex, sometimes rhetorically charged, climate.

“Media coverage of LGBTQ people has become increasingly multi-dimensional, reflecting both the diversity of the community and the growing visibility of LGBTQ people’s families and relationships,” the statement said.

“As a result, reporting that remains mired in simplistic, predictable “progay” or “anti-gay” dualisms does a disservice to readers seeking information on the diversity of opinion and experience within the LGBTQ community.

“Misinformation and misconceptions about LGBTQ people’s lives can be corrected when journalists diligently research the facts and debunk the myths – such as pernicious claims that transgender people pose a danger in public bathrooms – that often are used against LGBTQ people.

“There continues to be a need for journalists to distinguish between opposing viewpoints on LGBTQ issues and the defamatory rhetoric that fuels prejudice and discrimination.

“While defamatory comments may be newsworthy, they should not be used simply to provide ‘balance’ in a news story.

“Unfortunately, anti-LGBTQ individuals and organizations continue to see their incendiary rhetoric and inaccurate, sensationalistic distortions of LGBTQ people’s lives legitimised through news stories, features, and profiles.

“Such inclusion, despite the best efforts of reporters striving for fair and accurate coverage, devalues the quality of journalism and misinforms audiences in an era when LGBTQ people’s lives increasingly intersect with mainstream media coverage of family, faith, the economy, health care, politics, sports, entertainment, and a myriad of other issues.

“ The best media stories are those that allow readers, viewers, and listeners to form their own conclusions based on factual information, compelling stories, and appropriate context,” the press statement ended.

- Talamua