APPENDIX 1:

HOW TO READ THE NEWSPAPER (ANSWER: VERY CAREFULLY)
1. Skim every page for a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender angle, mention or headline

2. Look for stories about specific, community-related topics:
    - Domestic partner, civil union or marriage rights/benefits
    - Critiques of "the family," traditional family, etc.
    - Homophobia in sports
    - Adoption by gay parents
    - HIV/AIDS research, advocacy and public policy
    - Gay celebs: Rosie O'Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, etc.
    - Current controversies: same-sex marriage, gay men and blood donation, gays in the military, etc.

3. With gossip pages and columns, in particular, carefully read through them because they pack a lot into a small space.

4. With the Daily News and the NY Post, there are entertainment pages and columns in the back that must be read thoroughly. This can be true of other papers, as well. Read every section carefully.

5. When clipping, include the masthead of the paper and the article in question. Please e-mail a copy that day to your Regional Media Manager, and send the original in the U.S. mail.

Remember: WHEN IN DOUBT, CLIP IT OUT!

APPENDIX 2:

EXAMPLE OF A "THANK YOU" LETTER TO A MEDIA PROFESSIONAL

Ms. Luana Johnson
Staff Writer
Southern City Paper
1212 S. 1st Ave.
Cityville, ST, 00001

Dear Ms. Johnson:

Thank you for your editorial, "ENDA Needed," published on April 27, 2001. I appreciated your approach, especially highlighting the historical significance of other minority groups who have benefited from past civil rights initiatives. Further, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is always pleased to see an increased visibility of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in mainstream news outlets. [ADJUST THESE LAST 2 SENTENCES TO FIT YOUR SUBJECT]

Feel free to contact me by e-mail [INCLUDE E-MAIL ADDRESS] or Beth George, GLAAD's Southeastern Regional Media Manager, at (212) 629-3322, x121 if you ever need information or assistance on covering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in the future.

GLAAD works with a number of local and national media outlets providing them with resources, contacts and information and has an electronic press list, which updates its members about news, special events and community activities. If you would like to be added to our press list, please feel free to e-mail or call me. I would be happy to discuss any other questions you may have.

Best regards,


Your Name
Your Location
GLAAD Monitor & Mobilization Team Member

[CLOSE THE LETTER WITH GLAAD's MISSION STATEMENT]:
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

APPENDIX 3:

PHONE SCRIPT (POSITIVE)

REPORTER:	Hello?
YOU:	Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Do you have a few minutes? Are you on deadline?
REPORTER:	Sure, I can talk.
YOU:	Are you familiar with our organization?
REPORTER:	Kind of. I've heard of you.
YOU:	Well, we are a media advocacy group. We work to ensure fair, accurate and inclusive representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in mainstream media.
REPORTER:	Okay.
YOU:	I am a member of GLAAD's Monitor and Mobilize team, and I was calling about your piece in today's [LIST PAPER] entitled [LIST ARTICLE]. I wanted to thank you for writing it. I found it balanced and well researched. We always appreciate stories about gay people in the mainstream media.
REPORTER:	Thank you.
YOU:	I did want to discuss your use of the word "homosexual" several times throughout the piece.
REPORTER:	Well, why? I mean, it is the term that many of us here use and other papers. There's nothing bad about it.
YOU:	Certainly it isn't a slur, but "homosexual" is no longer the preferred term to describe lesbians and gay men according to the AP StyleBook. And, many major and mid-sized papers and other news outlets don't use it at all.
REPORTER:	"Oh, I was unaware of that."
YOU:	I totally understand. Word usage changes as time goes on and it sometimes is difficult to keep up.
REPORTER:	Well, what's wrong with the term, other than the fact that AP doesn't recommend using it?
YOU:	Actually, the word has negative connotations; it is a dated and clinical term, implying that there's a medical condition involved, and it's most often used these days by anti-gay spokespeople.
REPORTER:	I hadn't thought about that. Well, I'll bring this to my editor and tell her about it. I appreciate hearing from you on this.
YOU:	Thank you for your time. Please know that we not only call when there's a problem, but also when there are excellent columns and other pieces. Please know, if you ever need any resources or information regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people, you can call us anytime. Also, I would like to send you GLAAD's Media Reference Guide. It contains a glossary of terms and an annotated 'style' section for subjects you may report about in the future. If you'd like I can also put you on our e-mail distribution list for media releases and resources
REPORTER:	Great. Thank you.

REMEMBER: MAKE SURE YOU GET ALL OF THE REPORTER'S CONTACT INFORMATION: NAME SPELLING, TITLE, E-MAIL, MAIN TOPICS HE OR SHE REPORTS ON, ETC.]

APPENDIX 4:

PHONE SCRIPT (CHALLENGING)

REPORTER:	Hello?
YOU:	Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Do you have a few minutes? Are you on deadline?
REPORTER:	Sure, I can talk.
YOU:	I'm a member of GLAAD's Monitor and Mobilize team, and I was calling about your piece in [OUTLET] entitled [ARTICLE] and would like to speak with you about it.
REPORTER:	Yup.
YOU:	Are you familiar with our organization?
REPORTER:	Yeah, I know who you guys are. So you didn't like the piece?
YOU:	We were contacted by a few concerned people about it. To use the word "faggot" in the headline, even though it was part of a quote, was very sensational and not fully explained.
REPORTER:	Well, what does that mean? Yeah, sensational, so what? We sell papers. Like you said, it was from a quote.
YOU:	Yes, but the piece itself does not explain away the headline.
REPORTER:	Look, you gotta problem with it? OK, you gotta problem with it. What am I supposed to do?
YOU:	I think it's important to talk about it, bring it to your attention so we can hopefully ensure a different headline in the future, one that's less likely to be unnecessarily offensive to gay people.
REPORTER:	Your group wants to make a big deal about it? All right, make a big deal, it's fine. Your opinion.
YOU:	I really want us to discuss it. Why didn't the writer fully explain the use of the word?
REPORTER:	It's not our problem. The guy said it. He's running for mayor. We don't like the word, we think people need to know what they're getting into with this guy."
YOU:	I understand the intent, and it is admirable to try and educate voters about the homophobia of this candidate. However, I was bothered by the fact you didn't completely explain that to your readers. Doing so would have shown that you were trying to educate as opposed to simply being provocative to get attention.
REPORTER:	Look, whaddya want us to do? I'm sorry you're bothered by it.
YOU:	I'm hoping you'll consider carefully how the words you choose to include impact the people reading your stories. GLAAD has a reference guide that I think would be very helpful to you. Let me send it to you.

NOTE: Given the reporter's tone, it's obvious you are not going to get much further. You tried and perhaps he will remember this in the future, and he may take a look at the Media Reference Guide. Remember to get his contact information.