Poll 10: Is the media correct when mentioning "Asperge

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Where "Asperger's" is mentioned by the media, as an irrelevant addition to a story, do you feel that 1. It should be mentioned and 2. It most often does the person justice?

For example farther down you can read many other relevant news articles, and of course you can find many more examples of your own. http://www.newser.com/tag/18241/1/asper ... drome.html


Option A
I think that it is ok for the media to mention "Asperger's" but only with the person's explicit permission, I think that most often the way in which the media mentions it explains the persons neurology well enough to be acceptable


Option B
I think that it is ok for the media to mention "Asperger's" if they get the person's explicit permission, however the manner in which the media most often mentions "Asperger's" is borderline libellous as they are using it to make the person appear more of a victim by using terms such as "suffers from" when in fact they do not know how the person feels about their own mentality or if the person is suffering


Option C
I think that it is not ok for the media to mention "Asperger's" as it is unfair however the media most often uses correct wording in their descriptions of it, as in the example provided


Option D
I think that it is not ok to mention "Asperger's" if it is not relevant to the story and the wording which the media most often uses is also incorrect and potentially libellous in making the person appear more of a victim


Option E
I have an opinion not listed here and have written it below

Asperger's a mental condition. So doesn't patient-doctor confidentiality come in to this somewhere?

Then again, when you see stories of a kid with asperger's syndrome being beat up or people accusing someone with asperger's syndrome of stealing because they took a lightbulb, my first feelings are of sympathy

I'll not choose yet

I believe that it is okay for the media to mention Asperger's, so long as it meets 3 conditions:
1. If they are speaking about an individual, that individual must be officially diagnosed, and that person must have given explicit permission for the media to mention that they are on the spectrum.
2. If the media is speaking in general terms, they must provide decent background information as to why they are mentioning it.
3. The media MUST NOT use terms such as "suffering from," "fights with," or similar sayings, unless it is in an interview and the individual being interviewed says it.

In this case, I agree with musicislife.

I think that many articles that explicitly mention someone is autistic, including some of the articles you have linked to in the starting post, can be inspiring and empowering.

I have, however, at times seen that certain murderers have been described as being autistic or having Asperger's Syndrome or another ASD, and that their homicidal tendencies are explained as directly stemming from their ASD. I think reports such as these may negatively stereotype high-functioning autistics.