Autism is not often covered in local media, despite on the fringe blogs from the antivaxers and the #ActuallyAutistic types. I am neither individual despite having the condition, nor is it the definition of me or my site, or if this site has a certain taste, perhaps it’s the condition. I never like to talk about every nuance about it related to me,  only on the surface, when it does impact me.

The mainstream media’s delivery of this messaging is very crucial for my future (even in 2022), so it is impactful, and it should be a responsibility of all journalists to treat my group of people the same with the typicals for “the right to comment” .

For many years, Autism Speaks has not done this approach, the individual who has the condition is the topic, but the parents are always the subject. The child or adult child is featured in b-roll only.

In 2006, a film was distributed by Autism Speaks entitled Autism Every Day. Where the advocates stop, is where I chime in. There was severe ethical breaches in local media and Autism Speaks, ran for many years by Bob and Suzanne Wright, the former had the status known as the “patriarch of NBC” for a number of years, made enemies with local affiliates, and allies with the cable division (such as CNBC and MSNBC and alike.)

Continue reading How Autism and Broadcast Journalism Have Clashed (and What not to Do) →