Late last week, the incarcerated soldier who had been known as Bradley Manning announced, via her attorney David Coombs on The Today Show, that she would live as a woman and call herself Chelsea Manning. Since then, the media has been scrambling to figure out how to refer to her. (NBC News’ policy, announced that same day, is to use the female pronoun and the name Chelsea.)
Some news organizations—including The New York Times and the Associated Press—that were initially reluctant to accommodate Manning’s request or were weighing their options, are now using the female pronoun. Meanwhile, conservative media outlets have predictably been resistant not only to using the name and pronoun preferred by Manning, but to the entire concept of transgender identity.
Below, a rundown of how news organizations are handling the issue: (Who have we missed? Let us know in the comments.)
News organizations still using the male pronoun, or which have not announced a change in stance:
Fox News: According to Media Matters, the channel led into a segment on Manning with the Aerosmith song, “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” and one host, Jon Scott, said honoring Manning’s request was an example of “political correctness gone amok.”
The National Review: One contributor demanded a court declaration, but Kevin D. Williamson went further. In a post titled “Bradley Manning Is Not A Woman,” Williamson insisted: “No amount of pronoun play, psychotherapeutic doublespeak, or wishful thinking can make it otherwise.”
The Washington Times: All you need to know is today’s headline, which reads, “Bradley Manning ratchets hormone fight, as pressure builds to call him a ‘her.’”
Politico: In the course of reporting yesterday noting that the AP and the Times have changed their policies, Politico repeatedly refers to Manning as “he.”
CBS News: An August 27 AP story originally used female pronouns. But the version on CBSNews.com has been changed to include all male ones.
USA Today: As of August 23, the last story that came up in a search for the name, USA Today was using a male pronoun.
The Washington Post: On August 22, the paper’s copy editor, Bill Walsh, told Poynter, “We’re in the process of reviewing our style in light of the Manning situation.” A Style piece published August 22 by a transgender writer uses the female pronoun.









