by E. Ross

Someone is making dirty Internet-based attacks on an Alaskan democratic candidate for senate, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported on Monday:

The addresses direct viewers to either a fake blog, a San Francisco-based gay lifestyle site or a merchant selling items imprinted with the phrase “Trust Fund Baby.” The implication is that [he] is a rich California liberal — otherwise known as an Outsider.

Actually, the implication is that he’s a rich ‘queer’ Outsider.

One of the fake addresses redirects to CastroOnline.com: “Your Online Guide to Gay San Francisco” with business listings, a calendar of events, and articles from SF Spectrum, an LGBT publication that reports news, entertainment and information for the gay community in the SF Bay Area.

The political attacks include a second fake address that redirects to a gay site, which the News-Miner didn’t describe. The address goes to Only in San Francisco: The Official Visitor’s Site for San Francisco. But it doesn’t redirect to the home page of the city guide – it goes to Itinerary 6: Queer Culture Tour. 

The attacks are specifically anti-gay, not just anti-Outsider.

This attempt to harm a politician’s reputation by falsely linking his campaign to gay web sites was exposed during the same week that Alaskans were debating the participation of local students in Day of Silence, a national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name calling and harassment by highlighting the voices that are silenced by prejudice.

The News-Miner article did not discuss the anti-LGBT aspect of the attacks. Instead, the author brought attention to his own lack of awareness by describing the destination page as a “gay lifestyle site.”

If a gay news site posts news, and a gay events site lists events, what does a gay lifestyle site post? Fashion tips?

Castro Online is a community guide and the online home for a news magazine – similar to the News-Miner’s web site for posting articles, ads and events relevant to Fairbanks. Does that make newsminer.com a Fairbanks lifestyle site?

The Anchorage Press didn’t have the News-Miner’s problem describing a gay web site. They published the story first and wrote that the fake site redirects to “CastroOnline.com, a San Francisco calendar and information guide for the LGBT community.” 

The News-Miner changed it to a “gay lifestyle site” in their article posted five days later. The next day, the Juneau Empire described the sites as “pages associated with gay culture in San Francisco.” Awkward, but accurate.

So what happened at the News-Miner? They report a story about an anti-gay smear campaign, but they barely acknowledge the anti-gay aspect and instead refer to the gay community as a lifestyle. 

Perhaps our journalists should take a Day of Silence to highlight the lack of good quality news reports on LGBT issues in Alaska.