Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media

by Edward Alwood

How far have the American media come in providing fair, responsible coverage of lesbian and gay issues? Former CNN reporter Edward Alwood presents an insider's view of the changing fortunes of lesbian and gays in American print and broadcast media.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, History, Queer

368 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, putting aside the fact that this book is super boring, the main problem I have is that the author has some messed up views. We video-called him for one of my college courses, and he said a lot of stuff that made people uncomfortable. This isn't word-for-word but he basically said this, "Being a gay man isn't a choice, it is biological, but being a gay woman, a lesbian, is a choice. They are choosing to be attracted to other women. Gay men don't make that choice." WHAT?! You shouldn't write a book with "Lesbian" in the title if you have no clue what you are talking about. It's no wonder that the author focuses on gay white males in the book... he's sexist.

[Pax Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to see reviews saying this books wasn't interesting. I thought it was very easy to read and was paced really well while being informative, However, this is a book about cisgender gay men by a cisgender gay man.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive history of portrayal of gays and lesbian in mostly print journalism and some new media on television, but detail-heavy and not super exciting to read.