Union-Tribune Panned for Keeping Women from Riots

As riots broke out in Los Angeles on April 29, editors at the San Diego Union-Tribune refused to send women to cover the story, even though several volunteered, according to a petition circulated around the U-T newsroom last week.

“To our disappointment, we discovered this newspaper separates reporters by gender instead of skill,” the petition said.

There was no word on how many staffers signed the petition, but it was definitely a major topic of conversation in meetings between editors and writers held last week to discuss the paper’s coverage.

Sexism within newsrooms is a longstanding issue, but it is rarely raised in such blunt fashion. According to the petition, “more than one editor” said point blank that women were not going to be sent to Los Angeles because of their sex.

The petition decried the fact that editors “paternalistically” chose to “spare” women.

In a management memo to assistant city editors sent out Thursday, U-T Editor Gerald Warren was quoted as saying that not sending women “was wrong and against policy.”

In the memo, Warren was quoted as saying that he couldn’t think of any story that he wouldn’t send a woman to cover.

Reached on Friday, Warren said he was “sympathetic” with the women who circulated the petition, and “pleased that they cared enough about the newspaper to express their opinion.”

He stopped short of confirming that women were purposely overlooked.

However, the “impression” was definitely left, he acknowledged. “I’m sorry it was, and I’m pretty sure it won’t happen again.”

Executive Editor Karin Winner labeled the issue an “internal matter” and declined to comment.

However, she did say that she issued two “edicts” when the riots started: “No one should go up alone, and no one would go up who didn’t wish to go.”

Women staffers also were reluctant to discuss the situation. Several didn’t return phone calls, and others didn’t want to be quoted, although they were clearly angry at the situation.

The goal of the petition was to raise awareness of the issues, they said.

It’s been a particularly titillating sweeps month for the local television news operations.

KGTV (Channel 10), in particular, has been pulling out all the stops, producing soft-porn features on exotic dancers and adult movies.

Viewers who tuned in learned that it is not easy being a stripper, and that dancers and adult movie actors are terribly misunderstood. Or at least, that’s as far as Channel 10 took it, since it was hard to find any news angles amid the footage of dancers and X-rated flicks.

But words say more about sweeps ratings periods than women and men in skimpy outfits.

Some great lines from last week’s television news:

* “The larger the bulge in Mike’s shorts the more he was appreciated.”--Channel 10’s Kent Ninomiya talking about the bills stuffed in a male stripper’s briefs.

* “As for Tijuana, the party continues.”--the ominous Mitch Duncan on Channel 8.

* “Life away from the stage is not all fun and games.” Ninomiya, Channel 10.

* “The life of a single, is it really all that wonderful?”--Marty Levin, Channel 39.

* “And tomorrow night, we’ll show you what actors go through to do adult movies.”--Kimberly Hunt, Channel 10.

* “Go behind the scenes of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and meet the real Vanna White.”--Channel 39 commercial.

Michael Reagan manages to bring life to the stale Point-Counterpoint segments on KUSI-TV (Channel 51). It’s a good idea, but the participants aren’t helped by amateurish production, which has the two combatants sitting elbow to elbow on a bland set. . . .

Now the real cause of the riots in L.A. can be told. According to a press release received days after the Rodney King verdict, “Law-breaking Caped Crusader fanatics” were running wild in Los Angeles. More than 150 posters for the new Batman movie were “literally ripped off with only a trail of broken glass and twisted metal” left in their wake. A spokesman for Warner Bros. was quoted as saying, “It’s incredible how many people are risking arrest to have a piece of the new ‘Batman.’ ” The release was sent out before the riots started, according to Warner Bros.’ local publicist. . . .

As part of the deal to air Rush Limbaugh’s syndicated show on a taped-delay basis weekday afternoons, KSDO-AM (1130) insisted that the North County-based KCEO-AM (1000), which had been airing the show live, also delay it to the afternoon. KCEO was one of the first stations in the country to carry Limbaugh. . . .

Larry King fans can sleep well. KSDO General Manager Mike Shields said he is “100% sure” that King will be back on KSDO sometime soon, probably in the 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. slot. . . .

The San Diego Media Access Center will present “Myths that Maim,” a documentary exploring gender identities, 7 p.m., Wednesday at the San Diego Public Library. The 46-minute video was produced by the local husband-wife team of Maureen O’Hara and Robert Lucas. . . .

The San Diego Union’s Greg Moran did the bulk of the reporting, but law enforcement officials also gave credit to Channel 8’s Chris Saunders for advancing the story of Rickey Dale Thomas, the local man recently freed after serving more than a year in a Texas jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Saunders’ coverage was particularly praiseworthy, considering television news’ aversion to pursing stories not handed to them on a silver platter. . . .

Always quick to pick up on a fad after every other station in the country has tried it, Channel 8 is airing the tawdry “Personals” and “Night Games,” the latest examples of the “Studs” sleazebag-dating phenomenon, back to back weeknights beginning at 12:30 a.m.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: TERRY GILLIAM’S UNCUT ‘BRAZIL’ AT THE KEN

“Brazil,” Terry Gilliam’s dark view of futuristic society, is not a roll-in-the-aisles comedy. It’s easy to chuckle, but it hits close to home. Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowry, a cog in society’s grand machine, whose life is suddenly thrown into the meat grinder by a bureaucratic foul-up.

The movie’s notoriety stems as much from the controversy as from its beautiful sets and witty scripts. The studio insisted that Gilliam make it shorter, even though the uncut version was winning raves from critics who had seen it in Europe and at screenings. The Ken will screen the full version Wednesday through Saturday.