Disabled Community Calls Out Ableism In Coverage Of John Fetterman Following Stroke
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-fet ... f89f545ec9
Long article. Media focuses on a disability, something we all will experience, rather than on Fetterman's plans and policies.
NBC News has been criticized for its handling of the segment, which experts say focused far too much on Fetterman’s disability and his need for closed captioning, rather than on the content of the interview itself.
The segment began with an introduction by anchor Lester Holt, who told viewers it was “not your typical candidate interview.” Burns then said that “in small talk before the interview, without captioning, it wasn’t clear [Fetterman] was understanding our conversation.”
Requesting reasonable accommodations such as closed captions is legal under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But Burns treated Fetterman’s normal accommodations for an auditory processing issue as a “gotcha,” said Cara Reedy, director of the Disabled Journalists Association.
“I just find it upsetting that a journalist didn’t take time to research auditory processing disorders before interviewing,” Reedy told HuffPost. “That seems like she was unprepared based on her and probably other people in the newsroom’s biases. Who approved that framing? She didn’t make these decisions on her own.”
Blahovec said that when people use perceived medical conditions and disabilities to cast doubt on whether a candidate should serve in office, it detracts from what people should be focusing on: ideas and policies. For example, Fetterman has expressed support for a national law that would effectively reinstate the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that was overruled in June.