World Congress on Disability – Media
Panel
by Herb Drill
During the opening day of the three-day World Congress on Disabilities
(WCD) at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, panel members discussed
how to get more and better, general news coverage for the disabled
community. The panelists included: Art Carey, Philadelphia Inquirer
fitness and outdoors columnist whose articles include the disabled;
Josh Prager, a special assignment reporter for The Wall Street Journal,
who had a limited spinal cord injury; Beth Haller, associate professor/mass
communication and communication studies in the Dept. of Journalism
and New Media, Towson (MD) University; Carol Sowell, publications
director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Joseph Valenzano
Jr., president, CEO, and publisher for EP Global Communications Inc.
and publisher of Exceptional Parent Magazine.
In her remarks, Prof.
Haller discussed how media images of disability are important.
She and I agree positive news of the disabled often gets cut by
general media members. Her study, News Coverage of Disability Issues,
found “print journalists are much more likely to use
people with disabilities as examples, not sources. This suggests
people with disabilities, “while not ignored, aren’t
in control of disability-related coverage.” In her study, Prof.
Haller found journalists “tend to identify ’status’ of
sources.” This suggests people with disabilities, “are
not in control of disability-related coverage. National disability
organizations were largely missing.” People with disabilities
weren’t likely to be sources in “news stories on hard-hitting
issues. The message may get to the public that people with disabilities
can’t speak for themselves.” Then, there was the finding, “women
and girls with disabilities are largely ignored.”
A spokesman for Cornell
University said the U.S. disabled had 2004 disposable income in
excess of $220 billion. That reflects, Prager said, his belief
the ADA turned disability issues into “front
section news, and the Internet dropped barriers. The disabled, their
families, friends, and caregivers could go online and buy products,
even stuff the non-disabled sought.” Years ago, Prager termed
it “handicapitalism” and said he thought it described
the “realization by businesses that people with disabilities
shouldn’t be viewed as charity cases or regulatory burdens.” Instead,
they represent “profitable marketing targets. Mainstream companies
tailor products to attract them. Johnson & Johnson Co. invested
more than $100 million in its Independence unit, whose first product
was the iBOT transporter, an all-terrain wheelchair.”
Taking that cue, Carey
explained the kinds of feature stories newspapers seek: “We’re interested in the new, the different, and
the surprising stories that teach and delight, inform and entertain,
that are sweet and useful.” He added that the “stock
story on disability is where an individual overcomes obstacles. It’s
very predictable and rarely tells us anything new or surprises us.
While making that comment, Carey removed his jacket, took off his
tie, unbuttoned the top of his shirt, and revealed a Superman T-shirt
and said, “Surprise us!”
Sowell countered: “Be aware of every opportunity to get your
story out, and know how to present [it] in a way that has the best
chance of getting coverage. [Remember,] local stories often grow
into national ones.” In the process, she believes “media
are looking for stories that offer: something different, but not
too different; something uplifting; powerful visual images.” Sowell
is “a big believer in using one person’s experience to
show readers a trend or an issue.”
She urged that interviewees “be articulate, patient, courteous,
not hostile; know what kind of story this is, and decide if you want
to be part of it. Respond to wrong attitudes or language of the reporter
patiently and helpfully. Offer to provide background information;
suggest other people who could be interviewed.” After any article
appears, “if you don’t like a story, write a letter to
the editor and ask others to do so. Be to the point, write well,
think and edit before you send it. Write letters of praise or reinforcement
for a story you like. Write an Op-Ed [piece] or TV commentary. Get
the medium’s guidelines and stick to them.”
The panel concluded
with the words of Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn: “In
the hands of [someone] of courage, the printed word is the most awesome
power on earth.” It was also suggested that the audience, “Get
the word out on what the disabled can do. If we can try to rebuild
the Gulf Coast, we can all get along, be a village, be `One America,’ and
make sure no one is excluded, no one is victimized, and absolutely
no one is invisible.”
