Sex Sells
Sex sells, sure, but who gets to cash in on it? How can journalists honestly and accurately cover sex workers without sensationalizing or further stigmatizing their work? And can the answers provide meaningful & challenging insights for audio producers specifically who make stories about communities they are not a part of?
Sex sells, sure, but who gets to cash in on it? How can journalists honestly and accurately cover sex workers without sensationalizing or further stigmatizing their work? And can the answers provide meaningful & challenging insights for audio producers specifically who make stories about communities they are not a part of?
At thee 2019 Third Coast Conference, Lina Misitzis ( This American Life ), producer of The Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect , explained what steps she took to gain the trust of LA's porn industry, what she learned, and how this reporting continues to impact her approach to storytelling. She shared what she heard from pornographers themselves about mistakes documentarians have made while reporting on them in the past. And the writer Sydney Leathers joined Lina to talk about media coverage she received and how she wishes her own story had been covered differently.
Mixed by Neroli Price.
Featuring
Lina Misitzis (@lmisitzis) is a producer & reporter at This American Life , and is creating a new podcast with comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney. She spent the past few years making The Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson. Her 2019 Breakout Session will be about porn, including a conversation with Sydney Leathers.
Sydney Leathers (@sydneyelainexo) is a digital media manager and freelance writer covering the intersection of sex work and politics whose work has appeared in Penthouse and The Washington Post. At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Sydney will be featured in a Breakout Session about reporting on porn.