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Drawing on interviews of gay and lesbian journalists, [Alwood] chronicles both the rise of the gay press and the changing patterns of coverage in mainstream newspapers and television news.... He argues that the news media's norms and values - its myths of objectivity and autonomy - often contributed to antigay coverage. Alwood's account offers many telling anecdotes. - Political Communication - 2007
Examines how the relationship between gay men, lesbians and the American news media has evolved since World War II . . . Straight News is an important book. - New York Times
There are valuable lessons here for contemporary journalism. - Washington Post
Richly detailed and drawing upon numberous archival sources and interviews, this well-written study should be of interest both to the media scholar and professional. - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
Alwood's book is both a useful specialized history and a constructive look at news media limitations... This is serious sociological analysis. - American Journalism Review
Alwood's magnificent study moves pointedly through the decades, bringing readers into the present day, giving focus to pioneering gay/ lesbian liberationists like Randolfe Wicker and Phyllis Lyon as well as to mainstream media reporters like Leroy Aarons, no longer in the closet. This history has no shortage of heroes and heroines. Alwood's pages return us dramatically to yesteryear, and his focus in Straight News makes for a clear understanding of gay and lesbian history as it has evolved in America. - International Gay & Lesbian Review
An excellent additon to academic media collections and a good choice for all libraries with gay collections. - Library Journal
A strong addition to the sociology of reporting as well as to gay and lesbian studies. - Booklist
Part expose, part history, part blueprint for change, and park peek into some of the most powerful newsrooms in America, Alwood's book lays bare the power of the media to shape the way the world -- and we ourselves -- view gay men and lesbians. - Out
Ed Alwood's commprehensive and detailed survey of the treatment and maltreatment of gay and lesbian issues in the nation's press over the past 50 years should be required reading in every journalism school and a ready reference in every gay journalist's library. - The Advocate
Straight News explains and illuminates a dark corner of the media's recent history, relying on fact -- not vitrol and opinion -- to make the case. - Lambda Book Report
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