Objectivity and Truth: Backbones of Real Journalism

Many have contacted Q Life over the past three weeks and offered words of encouragement to me and to others who are involved with the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center and the recent unlawful closing of “Naked Boys Singing!”

I’d like to thank you for your kind thoughts and tell you how much we all appreciate your wisdom and support.

However, it also appears that some of you were confused and even angry about the fact that I, as editor, did not come out swinging against the cops and the city of Milwaukee over a story that has now been covered in hundreds of media outlets throughout the world.

One of the first lessons one learns as a reporter — and as an editor — is that you must always be objective. When you are too close to an event, especially when the event hits home — as did this horrific issue — it’s probably best to put some distance between you and the ink pen.

Make no mistake about it. I could have gone on for well over a thousand words about how absurd the closure was and just how prejudicial the city and the police’s action were. In fact, there are many circumstances regarding the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center’s dealings with the city that are almost comical. When all the facts come out regarding the direct connection between a high-level city employee and actions to ensure “Naked Boys Singing!” was closed, many here at home will have to use an elevator to pick their jaws up off the floor.

No if, ands or buts — what the city and the MPD Vice Squad did was outrageous, and when the jury is given this case common sense will prevail. This is an issue of civil rights that affects all of us, straight or gay. We must be vigilant now, before it reaches the point that a police state controls our freedom of expression and basic human survival.

There is another unfortunate issue regarding the entire situation — an issue just as important if we, as members of the LGBT community, are to survive here in Milwaukee. It’s the issue of fairness and objectivity.

We were all absolutely surprised to see that in most cases the straight media and organizations did a better job covering the event than did our own gay brothers and sisters. In fact, it was amazing to see that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — by no means a publication that goes out of its way to tell the “gay side” of the story — carried the torch and did no fewer than six stories about this police action. All in all, they were on base. It’s not that the state gay media ignored the closing — it’s just that when many of them covered it, their stories were out of touch, full of misinformation and misstatements.

Bottom line on this entire issue: The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center never needed a small theater license in the first place. The City of Milwaukee has now admitted that. We were singled out for being a gay organization.

The LGBT community in Wisconsin deserves objective media outlets that tell the truth based on the facts. Our straight counterparts demand that, and we must as well. When it appears that we are lowering our own standards of journalism by reporting rumor and innuendo, it does our entire community a great disservice. Hype sells. Reporting on stories where it appears the victim is at fault also is sexy. But it’s wrong.

It’s often easier to take the fast way out and repeat gossip. But we all know better than that. I hope all the brouhaha over this closure will spotlight what we do right and wrong as gay journalists and publications.

I think you, the reader, need to look long and hard at where you’re getting your information. If your news source is printed on yellow paper, don’t you deserve better?

Worth Saving

A special note of encouragement to the folks at Foster Youth Independence (FYI). As our cover story highlights, FYI is right in the middle of a financial crunch. This organization helps many young people who are aging out of the foster care system to make it on their own.

The problem is, no matter how good its mission, the organization is running out of money and may soon be forced to close its doors. FYI helps both straight and LGBT youth at a time when they need it the most.

We call on members of our community to rally around this group and dig deep inside their pockets to help in any way they can. Losing an organization like Foster Youth Independence will hurt not only the young people aging out of the foster care system, but all of us who call Wisconsin home.