Letter writing won't hurt, but the 'solution,' such as it is, is simply for people who aren't part of the freak show to step forward and be visible.
Yes, that's a bit inflammatory and it's certainly subjective. But what I'm driving at is what the people who'll step forward to talk to reporters will say to them. Are they going to talk about Carl Barks and Steve Gallacci and how 'furry fandom' forms at a crossroads of anime, funny animals and science fiction--or are they going to talk about how they only feel fully sexual when they're zipped into a fursuit? Our biggest problem in the media department boils down to the "silent majority" problem: the former kind of fan is a lot more numerous, I think, but the latter is louder--they often seem to seek validation by sharing with everyone.
With all due respect, Chuck, calling the good article published about Anthrocon (after the reporter talked with Sam Conway) "PR control" belittles a crucial point: that's how you talk to the media if you want them to spin things your way. Once any organization gets to a certain point, be it a company, trade association or non-profit NGO, they have a media relations contact. Maybe they have a media relations department. Hell, it came out later that the government hired the public relations firm Burston-Masteller to manage the Gulf War, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a commercial PR company working behind the scenes with "Operation Enduring Freedom."
There's no way to protect a group from determined hacks; by all accounts the Vanity Fair article was written by someone who wanted to write about a freak show and simply threw out everything that didn't fit his thesis. But if the media is "managed" in the sense of the group actually (gasp) inviting the reporter, having an image they want to present in mind, and managing things to make sure that's the image they do present, you have a good chance of ending up with a feature story rather than a creature story. Sure, the articles are always going to have a "this is weird" angle--but I don't think that working to get Furries lumped in with the Trekkies is that unreachable a goal.
Letter writing won't hurt, but the 'solution,' such as it is, is simply for people who aren't part of the freak show to step forward and be visible.
Yes, that's a bit inflammatory and it's certainly subjective. But what I'm driving at is what the people who'll step forward to talk to reporters will say to them. Are they going to talk about Carl Barks and Steve Gallacci and how 'furry fandom' forms at a crossroads of anime, funny animals and science fiction--or are they going to talk about how they only feel fully sexual when they're zipped into a fursuit? Our biggest problem in the media department boils down to the "silent majority" problem: the former kind of fan is a lot more numerous, I think, but the latter is louder--they often seem to seek validation by sharing with everyone.
With all due respect, Chuck, calling the good article published about Anthrocon (after the reporter talked with Sam Conway) "PR control" belittles a crucial point: that's how you talk to the media if you want them to spin things your way. Once any organization gets to a certain point, be it a company, trade association or non-profit NGO, they have a media relations contact. Maybe they have a media relations department. Hell, it came out later that the government hired the public relations firm Burston-Masteller to manage the Gulf War, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a commercial PR company working behind the scenes with "Operation Enduring Freedom."
There's no way to protect a group from determined hacks; by all accounts the Vanity Fair article was written by someone who wanted to write about a freak show and simply threw out everything that didn't fit his thesis. But if the media is "managed" in the sense of the group actually (gasp) inviting the reporter, having an image they want to present in mind, and managing things to make sure that's the image they do present, you have a good chance of ending up with a feature story rather than a creature story. Sure, the articles are always going to have a "this is weird" angle--but I don't think that working to get Furries lumped in with the Trekkies is that unreachable a goal.
— Chipotle