NY Times: It’s Chelsea Manning From Now On

Newspaper will refer to Manning as "she" going forward

The New York Times has agreed to call Chelsea Manning what she wants to be called, and to refer to her by the female pronoun "she."

A day after Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced last week for leaking intelligence records, she said in a statement to NBC's "Today" that she identifies as a woman and wants to be addressed accordingly. But the Times, Associated Press, and Reuters, among other outlets, continued to use the male pronoun in their stories. (TheWrap used the female pronoun as requested.)

Also read: Is Bradley Manning a He or She? Let's Call Her What She Wants

Times public editor Margaret Sullivan said in a post Tuesday that the paper will now recognize Manning's wishes. She posted a Monday email from Susan Wessling, the deputy editor who supervises the Times' copy desk:

“Starting tomorrow, we will move to a new formulation: … Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Pfc. Bradley Manning… ‘Private Manning’ on later references, and ‘she’ for the pronoun.”

Also read: Bradley Manning: 'I Am Chelsea Manning. I Am Female'

In explaining TheWrap's reasoning for the female pronoun, your humble correspondent suggested using the female pronoun because that's what Manning prefers.

"By declining to call Manning what she wants to be called, news agencies are signalling that they will decide, on a case-by-case basis, who is what gender — and when," I wrote.

Also read: NY Times Drops the F-Bomb

The Times has now bailed out on that losing proposition, and given the Times' influence, others are sure to follow.

 

 

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