The Flint Hills Observer
December 1998

Journal, Mercury editors speak to FHA
By Deb Taylor

Newspapers generally don’t have agendas against homosexuality, stated Ned Seaton, News Editor of the Manhattan Mercury.  And don’t judge Kansas newspapers by the Wichita Eagle, added George Pyle, Opinion Page Editor of the Salina Journal. Seaton and Pyle were guest speakers at the December 3 Flint Hills Alliance meeting.

Pyle stated that focus groups determine what type of content fills the Wichita paper.  As a result, the newspaper staff at the Eagle cannot report news and feature stories they feel are important despite popularity.  This lack of control over the newspaper’s flow makes the staff at the Eagle “suicidal,” added Pyle.

Seaton stated that the Mercury is more likely to “go out on a limb” than papers that cannot set its own agendas; the Mercury does not have to be as reactive.

Still, the Mercury will not print same-sex wedding announcements because same-sex marriages are not legal.  It will, however, print a paid advertisement of a same-sex wedding announcement and, added Seaton, include it on the same page as the other engagements and weddings.

The Salina Journal does print same-sex wedding announcements. The Salina Journal and Pyle, who was News Editor at the time, made national news when the Journal included the wedding announcement of two gay men, Skip and Steve, on January 24, 1993.

Pyle had immediately agreed to print their engagement announcement, but then decided to double-check with the publisher. He immediately said yes as well, but then decided to do a little research just to make certain everything would be okay.  After a bit of “checking around,” the Journal agreed to publish the announcement.

Very few people noticed the engagement announcement; the picture was quite small and one of the guys had long hair.  Some readers who noticed that they were both men thought it was a joke.  In short, little fanfare occurred because of the announcement.

When the Journal was ready to print Skip and Steve’s wedding announcement, the editors decided to include a feature story on Skip and Steve.  The story was on the front page of the features section, complete with why Skip and Steve were getting married, reactions from family and friends, and the newspaper’s reasons for printing the announcement.

Needless to say, stated Pyle, people noticed the same-sex announcement that time.

Readers under 25 were not bothered by the announcement, but the over-25 crowd and the religious groups were very upset, stated Pyle.  Many cancelled subscriptions.  Religious groups tried to get businesses to pull their ads from the Journal.  To their credit, said Pyle, the advertisers decided to stay out of it.

Eventually, noted Pyle, things calmed down.  Skip and Steve were invited to speak on the Maury Povich Show, and  Pyle was asked to write an article for the New York Times. Readers came back, and the Journal did not lose a lot of money as a result of running the same-sex wedding announcement.

Both the Mercury and the Journal will print the names of long-time companions in the obituary sections, although a fee possibly exists in the Mercury if the obituary runs long on names of extended family members and friends.  What’s most important, stated both journalists, is that the families get the obituary settled at the funeral home, which then forwards the information to the newspapers.

Pyle said that there is no such thing as “The Press.” In other words, no rule books for newspaper content exists.  Both agreed that their papers are not hesitant to publish homosexual issues. Seaton noted that, in general, issues are more likely to be included in the newspaper when: it becomes public, it involves a law suit, someone calls a press conference, or the issue becomes public record.  For example, if a landlord tells a Manhattan resident to vacate his apartment because he doesn’t allow faggots to live there, the Mercury would not print the story. However, the Mercury is more likely to print the story if the landlord writes a letter stating that he doesn’t allow faggots in his apartments.

Seaton reminded us that the Mercury cannot publish issues about which it knows nothing. In other words, it never hurts to share your story with them.  Ned Seaton can be reached at: nseaton@kansas.net.
 
 


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