washington post article mentions wrong planet

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thanks all, I have read articles from them and figured they were mainstream but weren't sure. Some of the "Post" papers are tabloids.

I think article was informative in the way they presented the stories. It's a tolerant and curious perspective that is very rare for the autistic community. I'm wondering if there is a turning point going on and if the Media will be describing the autistic community in a more enlightened way; shutting up about cures, grieving parents and therapies to make people appear "normal".

It is ok but I find it irksome that it describes WrongPlanet as a site for teens on the autistic spectrum, considering a large number here are well over 18, and also in the over 40s group. I think that will bring in an influx of more teens, but no more adult members, who will assume the site is limited to just teenagers. Should get the paper to print a correction note on that one.

I think they have an area for corrections. That's the case in most newspapers. If you ask them to do so and explain why in a logical manner they will probably do so. Just tell them it can keep adults from going to the site and signing up. They'll understand that. And first thank them for the mention. Tell them you really appreciate it.

I agree. That's a significant error. I've seen papers print corrections for details much more frivolous.

[quote="KimJ"
I think article was informative in the way they presented the stories. It's a tolerant and curious perspective that is very rare for the autistic community. I'm wondering if there is a turning point going on and if the Media will be describing the autistic community in a more enlightened way; shutting up about cures, grieving parents and therapies to make people appear "normal".[/quote]

Apparently I didn't read the same article as you. I saw nothing enlightening, only some odd meanderings on labeling, and how darned "awful" it is. If anything, it is potentially offensive to those of us whose children (and ourselves) have been dx'ed/labeled as being on the spectrum.

Bah. A silly contribution, in my opinion.

is this by the reporter who some1 posted's email address who we could email our stories too?
i wish i did it so my name would have been mentioned in there

here's what i wrote to the health dept of the washington post:

Hi,
Your article, 'Gifted? Autistic? Or Just Quirky?', from Tuesday, February 27, includes a substantially misleading and incorrect statement about my website, WrongPlanet.net.

The statement "Dan Grover, an 18-year-old college student in Boston, co-founded WrongPlanet.net, a site for teens on the autistic spectrum. " is misleading as the website has quite a sizable portion of people older than 20 and even a large number of individuals with Asperger's who are over 40.

If an adult reads the article and sees a statement claiming that the site is for teens, he or she won't want to join since people generally won't want to belong to a group for which they don't feel that they fit the criteria.

WrongPlanet.net is actually a website geared towards individuals of all ages who have Asperger's or a child with Autism. "Teens" is only one demographic on Wrong Planet which has over 9,000 registered members of all ages and nationalities.

I'm the other cofounder and wasn't mentioned in the article. However, I've been the sole administrator and owner for more than 1.5 years (Dan chose to leave the site and also gave up ownership, although he's still a cofounder). However, this issue isn't as important as the inaccuracy regarding the statement implying that WrongPlanet.net is a site just for teenagers.

Thanks for looking into this. Please let me know when the correction will be run.

Regards,
Alex Plank

Alex,
Thanks for the note. We will probably run it next Tuesday. Can you please
let us know your city of residence as well (we usually put that info with
the letter)?

Thanks,