Commitment to Being Anti-Racist
Queer on the Streets acknowledge that all writers, especially white writers, have their own ingrained biases and are committed to continuously working on being anti-racist. The field of journalism is deeply rooted in racism, misogyny, and homophobia. A predominant number of journalists in the field, both past and present, are white.
Newspapers and magazines have been notorious for blatant racism and micro-aggressions through headlines, word choices and photo selection – all of which do not make fair and balanced journalism. All journalists, especially those at Queer on the Street, take an oath to minimize harm and write with integrity and honesty. Writing an unbiased story is something all journalists strive for (or at least, they should strive for) but due to the racist society we grew up in, a story can never truly be unbiased.
Queer on the Street is diligently working towards checking our own biases to truly serve the people. Queer on the Street reporters understand that journalists have a power and when abused, can cause violence to Black and Brown people.
We are fully committed to listening to people of color and integrating their comments and concerns should they arise. We are open to critique and dialogue about how we can check ourselves and do better.
We are dedicated to uplifting and amplifying voices of color while decolonizing the field.
We are devoted to understanding the effect of racism and inequity that journalism has perpetuated in the past while working towards creating a diverse, safe, equitable field for the present day and beyond.
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