Be heard on the issues that matter most to you!
A few days ago I suggested (in response to Roy Kay's suggestion about contacting supportive journalists to write stories from a human rights perspective) that we should have a forum where we can collect names and references for such journalists. At the end of the forum I'll put together some resource pages but for now we can collect the information here.
In the comments please leave the names of journalists you know who have demonstrated a willingness to challenge the dominant, moralistic approach to stories about trafficking and sex work. If possible, links or references for stories would be great!
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
These people have all written about " sex trafficking":
Maggie Jones (who I think is now a contributor to New York Times Sunday Magazine): "Thailand's Brothel Busters," in Mother Jones, Nov/Dec 2003 issue
Nina Shapiro, "The New Abolitionists," Seattle Weekly, Aug. 25, 2004
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, "Human Trafficking: Really Such a Big Issue?", Sept. 30, 2007
In addition, David Feingold is not a journalist; he's an anthropologist working for the UN in, I think, Bankok. He has for long been a passionate and consistent voice of reason regarding the real context in Asia that surrounds women crossing borders to do sex work. He did a great documentary film about this, so he should be considered a media person. He also very proactively communicates with the mass media.
In my original comment I mentioned Debbie Nathan and Judith Levine but I'd include them here, too, so we have everything in one place:
Debbie Nathan, especially because of her book, Satan's Silence, and because of her coverage of the Kurt Eichenwald/Justin Berry story complete with advocating that journalists and researchers should have access to child porn in order to confirm government claims, and because of her work in immigration especially along the US/Mexico border. Her blog is at: http://debbienathan.com
Judith Levine, especially because of her book Harmful to Minors which addresses issues of children, teens, sex, policy and pornography in a way that makes it clear how our current moral panic around sex harms the people it is nominally aimed at "saving". She blogs at http://judithlevine.com
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
