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| ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Isaiah Washington’s use of the word ‘faggot’ has caused Hollywood, the news media and some gay Americans to re-think how that word is used. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/AP) |
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: RYAN LEE COMMENTS
 
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against black patrons of a Los Angeles comedy club were similar in volume and tone, but also revealed the varying gradations of what media institutions deem offensive.
In its reports on the “Grey’s Anatomy” flap, the Associated Press decided to limit its use of the word faggot to direct quotes from Washington, said Kristin Gazlay, deputy managing editor of AP. But when quoting Richards’s outburst in November, the AP printed the slur he used as “n——.”
“[The discrepancy] is one of those instances where I think it’s impossible to get this completely right because it’s so subjective,” said Gazlay, who added that the AP has an informal policy of not printing slurs unless it’s absolutely necessary to the story.
“The mistake we’ve made with the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ case is continuing using the word after the initial news broke — we should’ve stopped repeating it, and in fact we’re going to do so now,” Gazlay said. “Words have real power, and they have power to wound. It’s not much [making the word] taboo, as it is the word’s very intent is to insult and demean.”
Prominent newspapers like the New York Times and Chicago Tribune opted not to print the word faggot at all in their reporting of the “Grey’s Anatomy” incident, instead describing it as an anti-gay or homophobic slur.
“The dilemma newspapers face is if I’m going to write a story about the use of discriminatory language, can I really get the point across if I don’t use the word too?” said Conrad Fink, the Morris chair of newspaper strategy and management at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication.
“You have to handle it very carefully because there is the compelling right and need of minority groups to be treated with dignity and respect,” Fink said. “On the other hand, if we get so knee-jerky sensitive that we have to start eliminating words and stories, we have self-censored to a degree we should not.”
There should be “uniformity and conformity” in a newspaper’s policy toward different slurs, said Fink, who added that “the media, quite frankly, are much more careful than many Americans are in private conversations.”
Prior to the Jan. 29 episode of “Paula Zahn Now” which was dedicated to talking about racist and homophobic slurs, CNN staffers asked guests to use “n-word” and “f-word” instead of saying the actual words on-air, said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, who was a gu
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