San Francisco Sentinel
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Sentinel is an online newspaper
serving the gay
, lesbian
, bisexual, and transgender
ed (LGBT) communities of the San Francisco Bay Area
. Originally a weekly print periodical, the Sentinel covers local San Francisco politics, news and social events, and international news of interest to the gay community
.
legislation passing in California by writing, "The days are gone when we can be taken for granted. We are tired of shabby, liberal gestures." Alfred left in 1977 to work for a competing gay newspaper, the San Francisco Bay Times
.
In October 1980, the newspaper published a guest editorial written by U.S. presidential candidate John B. Anderson
. Anderson wrote that, if elected, he would order the cessation of discrimination in the federal government based on sexual orientation. At the time, the Sentinel boasted a local circulation of 17,000, but the story was picked up by the Associated Press
and United Press International
wire services and printed in various papers across the country. Publisher Morris said that he thought this was "the first time a major presidential candidate" had written for a gay-oriented newspaper.
Morris moved to Denver in 1984 and died of AIDS
in 1986 at the age of 46.
The paper went through several owners, including gay rights activist William "Bill" Beardemphl who bought it in 1981. At the time, Beardemphl was living in Geyserville, California
with his longtime partner John DeLeon. Beardemphl had earlier written a column—"From the Left"—for the Bay Area Reporter
, a gay community newspaper founded in 1971 by Bob Ross. Managing Editor Gary Schwiekhart wrote that Beardemphl and Ross, both accomplished chefs, "deeply despised one another, both journalistically and culinarily, and frequently used their newspapers to launch vicious personal attacks" on each other. Beardemphl hired Jack Nichols
as his news editor, and in 1982 brought Alfred back, this time as Editor-in-Chief. Beardemphl refused to use the word gay, preferring homosexual, and he initially thought that the idea of a gay-related immune deficiency
disease was a government plot to stop the gay community from having fun. Beardemphl wrote an April Fools' Day
editorial in 1982 lampooning the new disease: "Gay Cancer Caused by Brunch". Historian Rodger Streitmatter in Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press In America, writes that this tasteless headline was indicative of the Bay Area gay press's failure to call attention to the epidemic even after it was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
. Beardemphl died of prostate cancer in 2002.
In September 1995, new owner Ray Chalker shut the paper down after trying to keep it afloat for one year.
Murphy has been described as willing to accept money for positive coverage in the Sentinel. In 2005, Supervisor Chris Daly
wrote on his official blog that Murphy offered him editorial oversight of articles about Daly, but Daly refused to pay the suggested $1,500. Murphy responded by saying he and his photographer partner, Luke Thomas, do not accept payment for positive coverage. He said the Sentinel makes money from advertising and from sales of photographs. In September 2006, the Sentinel went offline for a brief period during which Thomas left the newspaper after 17 months as co-owner and Editor-in-Chief, writing that he did not wish to follow Murphy's direction in changing the Sentinel into a "pro-business publication". Thomas moved on to found Fog City Journal. Amazon Watch
wrote in 2008 that petroleum giant Chevron
appeared to be paying Murphy to write positively about Chevron and negatively about its opponents in Ecuador and Nigeria. Amazon Watch described how the Chevron-related posts at the San Francisco Sentinel were Google bomb
ed into much greater prominence than other Sentinel material which ranked very low locally.
In March 2009 while he was "laid low" with emphysema and cyrrhosis, Murphy named Sean Martinfield publisher and editor. Murphy continues as owner.
In March 2011, the San Francisco Police Department revoked the press pass
es of a number of independent online news outlets including the Sentinel. Josh Wolf
wrote that the department's policy indicated the passes were for reporters who "regularly cover fires and breaking police news". Sentinel photographer Bill Wilson expressed dismay at losing his pass.
Online newspaper
An online newspaper, also known as a web newspaper, is a newspaper that exists on the World Wide Web or Internet, either separately or as an online version of a printed periodical....
serving the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed (LGBT) communities of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Originally a weekly print periodical, the Sentinel covers local San Francisco politics, news and social events, and international news of interest to the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
.
Background
Several San Francisco newspapers have held the name San Francisco Sentinel. One operated in the 1860s; another was started in 1890 by West-Indies-born Oxford-educated newspaper editor Robert Charles O'Harra Benjamin and his business manager partner L. B. Stephens. This second Sentinel focused on news and opinion of interest to African-American readers.Gay community news
The modern San Francisco Sentinel began in 1974 as a weekly periodical covering the gay community of San Francisco. It was published by Charles Lee Morris, an activist for gay rights and a local political leader. Morris produced the Sentinel as a weekly periodical paid for by subscriptions and advertisements. It appeared in magazine form with a cover illustration rather than articles in columns on the front. In 1975, Morris hired Randall H. "Randy" Alfred as news editor. Alfred wrote the column "Waves from the Left", and he responded to the first hate crimeHate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
legislation passing in California by writing, "The days are gone when we can be taken for granted. We are tired of shabby, liberal gestures." Alfred left in 1977 to work for a competing gay newspaper, the San Francisco Bay Times
San Francisco Bay Times
The San Francisco Bay Times is a free weekly LGBT newspaper in San Francisco, California that started as COMING Up! in October 1979 as "the gay lesbian newspaper and calendar of events for the Bay Area."...
.
In October 1980, the newspaper published a guest editorial written by U.S. presidential candidate John B. Anderson
John B. Anderson
John Bayard Anderson is a former United States Congressman and Presidential candidate from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois for ten terms from 1961 through 1981 and an Independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election. He was previously...
. Anderson wrote that, if elected, he would order the cessation of discrimination in the federal government based on sexual orientation. At the time, the Sentinel boasted a local circulation of 17,000, but the story was picked up by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
wire services and printed in various papers across the country. Publisher Morris said that he thought this was "the first time a major presidential candidate" had written for a gay-oriented newspaper.
Morris moved to Denver in 1984 and died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in 1986 at the age of 46.
The paper went through several owners, including gay rights activist William "Bill" Beardemphl who bought it in 1981. At the time, Beardemphl was living in Geyserville, California
Geyserville, California
Geyserville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, USA. Located in the Wine Country, it is noted by tourists for its restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, and wineries...
with his longtime partner John DeLeon. Beardemphl had earlier written a column—"From the Left"—for the Bay Area Reporter
Bay Area Reporter
The Bay Area Reporter is a free weekly newspaper serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities in the San Francisco Bay Area; it is the oldest-continuously published, and one of the largest LGBT newspapers in the United States....
, a gay community newspaper founded in 1971 by Bob Ross. Managing Editor Gary Schwiekhart wrote that Beardemphl and Ross, both accomplished chefs, "deeply despised one another, both journalistically and culinarily, and frequently used their newspapers to launch vicious personal attacks" on each other. Beardemphl hired Jack Nichols
Jack Nichols (activist)
John Richard "Jack" Nichols was an American gay rights activist. He co-founded the Washington, D.C. branch of the Mattachine Society in 1961 with Franklin E. Kameny. He appeared in a 1967 documentary under the pseudonym Warren Adkins.- Biography :Nichols was born in Washington, D.C. to parents of...
as his news editor, and in 1982 brought Alfred back, this time as Editor-in-Chief. Beardemphl refused to use the word gay, preferring homosexual, and he initially thought that the idea of a gay-related immune deficiency
Gay-related immune deficiency
Gay-related immune deficiency was the 1982 name first proposed to describe what is now known as AIDS, after public health scientists noticed clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among gay males in Southern California and New York City.During the early history of AIDS, when it was...
disease was a government plot to stop the gay community from having fun. Beardemphl wrote an April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
editorial in 1982 lampooning the new disease: "Gay Cancer Caused by Brunch". Historian Rodger Streitmatter in Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press In America, writes that this tasteless headline was indicative of the Bay Area gay press's failure to call attention to the epidemic even after it was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
. Beardemphl died of prostate cancer in 2002.
In September 1995, new owner Ray Chalker shut the paper down after trying to keep it afloat for one year.
Online news
In May 1999, Pat Murphy restarted the San Francisco Sentinel in an online-only format, still dedicated to serving the gay community. Murphy's previous website was called "District 6 Sentinel" and was listed as a San Francisco political committee. As a young man, Murphy worked as a cub reporter for the Richmond Independent, the Berkeley Daily Gazette and the San Francisco Chronicle before branching out into editing and advertising.Murphy has been described as willing to accept money for positive coverage in the Sentinel. In 2005, Supervisor Chris Daly
Chris Daly
Chris Daly is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He represented District 6, on which he served from 2000 to 2010...
wrote on his official blog that Murphy offered him editorial oversight of articles about Daly, but Daly refused to pay the suggested $1,500. Murphy responded by saying he and his photographer partner, Luke Thomas, do not accept payment for positive coverage. He said the Sentinel makes money from advertising and from sales of photographs. In September 2006, the Sentinel went offline for a brief period during which Thomas left the newspaper after 17 months as co-owner and Editor-in-Chief, writing that he did not wish to follow Murphy's direction in changing the Sentinel into a "pro-business publication". Thomas moved on to found Fog City Journal. Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch
Founded in 1996, Amazon Watch is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. It works to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin...
wrote in 2008 that petroleum giant Chevron
Chevron
Chevron may refer to:* Chevron , a decoration* Chevron , a bone* Chevron , a fold in rock layers* Chevron , a sediment deposit across the earth's surface* The Chevron, a newspaper...
appeared to be paying Murphy to write positively about Chevron and negatively about its opponents in Ecuador and Nigeria. Amazon Watch described how the Chevron-related posts at the San Francisco Sentinel were Google bomb
Google bomb
The terms Google bomb and Googlewashing refer to practices, such as creating large numbers of links, that cause a web page to have a high ranking for searches on unrelated or off topic keyword phrases, often for comical or satirical purposes...
ed into much greater prominence than other Sentinel material which ranked very low locally.
In March 2009 while he was "laid low" with emphysema and cyrrhosis, Murphy named Sean Martinfield publisher and editor. Murphy continues as owner.
In March 2011, the San Francisco Police Department revoked the press pass
Press pass
A press pass grants some type of special privilege to journalists. Some cards have recognized legal status; others merely indicate that the bearer is a practicing journalist...
es of a number of independent online news outlets including the Sentinel. Josh Wolf
Josh Wolf
Josh Wolf is a journalist and video blogger.Josh Wolf is also the name of:* Josh Wolf , comic appearing on season 4 of Last Comic Standing...
wrote that the department's policy indicated the passes were for reporters who "regularly cover fires and breaking police news". Sentinel photographer Bill Wilson expressed dismay at losing his pass.