'Our thinking has evolved': NPR will honor Bradley Manning's request to be called Chelsea

The jerks at NPR have evolved since Thursday, and on Friday directed reporters to honor the preferences of Bradley Manning and refer to the convicted WikiLeaks leaker as Chelsea Manning and “her” in any future reporting.

If @NPR refuses to call Manning by her preferred name or pronoun, can I call NPR whatever I want, too? #Ignorant #Disrespectful #Prejudiced

— Jim C. Hines (@jimchines) August 23, 2013

@jimchines I have some sympathy for news outlets perhaps trying not to let her announcement distract from discussion of the sentence.

— Self-Isolating Omelet (@TheBarbarienne) August 23, 2013

@TheBarbarienne That's not the argument @NPR made, though. They just said they would use "he" until she had gender reassignment surgery.

— Jim C. Hines (@jimchines) August 23, 2013

@jimchines @NPR Okay, that's blatant assholery.

— Self-Isolating Omelet (@TheBarbarienne) August 23, 2013

“Army Private Manning’s request to no longer be known as ‘Bradley’ is one NPR should respect,” wrote managing editor for standards and practice Stu Seidel in a memo to the newsroom. “We allow people to decide what they want to be called. Manning asks to be called ‘Chelsea.'”

https://twitter.com/ScottMarquis/status/371087801179062273

Manning, sentenced to 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, said in a statement Thursday that he wants to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible, though the Army has said it does not provide hormone therapy or sex-reassignment surgery.

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@NPRinskeep saw that the guidelines changed, which is good. Appreciate that my favorite media source can evolve. Thanks for reply!

— Megan A. Brooks (@librarygrrrl) August 24, 2013

@NPRinskeep @librarygrrrl Right decision. In principle, though, we should use names that satisfy our readers/listeners, not the people named

— Doug Saunders (@DougSaunders) August 24, 2013

@DougSaunders @librarygrrrl Yes – the larger duty is to be sure people understand the story, whatever it is.

— Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) August 24, 2013

If NPR can evolve, perhaps we all can. Now respect Chelsea’s request and stop asking about it.

To those who have asked: NPR will now say #ChelseaManning, believing everyone has the right to be called by name they want.

— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) August 23, 2013