The media play a significant role in influencing public opinion and attitudes. The choice of words, messages, and images can determine perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Amanda Morris wants to emphasize this to all journalists, broadcasters, producers, and content creators. The Times’s inaugural disability reporting fellow shares one of the most effective ways to enhance disability reporting is to reach out to more disabled people.
When It All Started
Morris said that when Starbucks opened a “Signing Store” in Washington, D.C., in October 2018, some of her friends sent her articles on the subjects, remarking how “cool” it was. But as a hard-of-hearing individual, Morris viewed it differently. Although she was happy to learn about Starbucks’ efforts to be more inclusive, hiring people with disabilities is not a big news story. And neither is a company making one store accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. Morris felt that the real story was how some of those employees had master’s degrees. Yet, they struggled to find jobs elsewhere because of their disability.
Many articles about differently-abled persons make it look as if it is special when they do things that non-disabled ones do. In reality, it’s not. These articles “otherize” disabled people and create their stories as “inspiration” for non-disabled people. Morris explained that reducing their lives into simple narratives often missed that society started those barriers.
“As a disability reporting fellow for the Times, my goal is to shift the way what the news media writes about persons with disabilities.” – Amanda Morris.
Some of the works of Amanda Morris break the stigmas and negative perceptions that several people have. It includes the flawed idea that having a disability is naturally bad or is limiting. Morris shares that she never felt that her disability had made her “less.” Instead, it is an integral part of her identity and has presented a different perspective.
Tips On Accurate Disability Reporting
Below is the summary of tips shared by Morris on how to report disability with care:
- Pick newsworthy stories, not stories that turn people with disabilities into spectacles for non-disabled audiences. When selecting a story idea, ask yourself: Why is this newsworthy? What are the disabled persons saying about this story? Or Am I outlining this story in a nuanced way that looks at the broader context?
- Before writing an article that may affect a group of people with certain conditions, reach out to several people living with the condition and include their voices in your story. This ensures that there’s a possibility of differences of experience or opinion. Also, disability should encompass many aspects such as races, ethnicities, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and economic backgrounds.
- In interviews, Morris said that she doesn’t approach a person with a disability differently than a non-disabled individual. The only thing that may vary might be the communication style because it depends on what disability the source has.
- During interviews, journalists and writers should avoid asking for on-the-spot interviews. For some sources, chronic illness flare-ups can make it impossible to discuss on the same day of the request.
- Language is important. So, when doing an interview, one of the first things you might do is ask them how they want to be described. Some people, like Amanda Morris herself, prefer identity-first language, like “disabled person”. Others prefer person-first language such as “person with a disability.” Another tip is not to use terms that make it seem like a “victim” disability. For example, don’t say someone is “afflicted with a disability”. Instead, say they “have” a disability.
Challenge in disability reporting
Morris said that one of the most complex parts of disability reporting is that several types of disabilities and their experiences usually vary. She may not be an expert on every disability, but the key to disability reporting is to acknowledge those differences.
Who is Amanda Morris?
Amanda Morris is appointed as 2021-2022 N.Y. Times disability reporting fellow for the National Desk. The fellowship collaborates with the National Center on Disability and Journalism and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University.
As someone with a hearing loss, Morris grew up using American Sign Language with her two deaf parents. A graduate of New York University, she most recently worked at The Arizona Republic as a multimedia bioscience reporter.
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