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| National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association |
| Formation | 1990 |
| Founder | Jeff Weinstein |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | United States |
National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association is an American professional organization founded in 1990 that advocates for fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ issues in news media. It promotes diversity in newsrooms, offers training and resources for reporters and editors, and recognizes excellence through awards. The association has engaged with major news organizations, civil rights groups, and public figures to influence media practices and representation.
The association was founded in 1990 amid debates following coverage by outlets such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and ABC News about LGBTQ issues. Early supporters included journalists from The Advocate, Out Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, and Philadelphia Inquirer who collaborated with advocates from Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, American Civil Liberties Union, and PFLAG. The organization held conferences that drew speakers from The New Yorker, Time (magazine), Newsweek, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and worked with journalism schools at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, and Newhouse School of Public Communications. It established awards that have been presented alongside ceremonies involving figures from Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Awards, Emmy Awards, and institutions like National Press Club.
The association's mission centers on improving coverage of LGBTQ people and issues in outlets such as NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, MSNBC, Bloomberg L.P., and Reuters. It issues style guidance used by newsrooms familiar with editorial policies at Associated Press, The Guardian (US edition), NPR, PBS, and Al Jazeera English. The group collaborates with advocacy organizations including Stonewall (charity), OutRight Action International, Center for American Progress, ACLU Veterans' Rights Project, and Lambda Legal to develop resources for reporting on topics connected to cases before United States Supreme Court, debates in United States Congress, rulings by European Court of Human Rights, and policy actions by United Nations Human Rights Council.
Programs have included mentorships linked to journalism fellowships such as those at Knight Foundation, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, International Center for Journalists, and Investigative Reporters and Editors. Training initiatives have featured collaborations with Society of Professional Journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and university programs at University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Columbia University. The association has run reporting grants modeled after awards from Gotham Awards, Lionsgate, Sundance Film Festival panels, and partnered with media outlets including BuzzFeed News, Vox, ProPublica, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and Politico. It administers the Excellence in Journalism awards that align in prestige with honors like the George Polk Awards and Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.
Leadership has included executive directors, board members, and advisory councils drawing from journalists at The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Washington Post Magazine, Vanity Fair (magazine), Esquire (magazine), Rolling Stone, Salon (website), and HuffPost. Boards have featured figures affiliated with institutions such as Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Poynter Institute, Aspen Institute, Berkman Klein Center, and Columbia Journalism Review. The organization partners with labor entities like NewsGuild and professional associations such as National Association of Black Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association, Native American Journalists Association, and National Association of Hispanic Journalists to coordinate diversity efforts. Annual meetings and elections follow bylaws comparable to nonprofit standards under filings with state regulators and oversight modeled after practices at Independent Sector.
Membership comprises reporters, editors, producers, photographers, and students from outlets like Gannett, Hearst Communications, McClatchy, Tribune Publishing, Condé Nast, Hearst, and public broadcasters such as BBC America and CBC/Radio-Canada affiliates. Local chapters have convened in cities including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle, and collaborated with regional press clubs like San Francisco Press Club and DC Press Club. Student chapters connect with programs at Howard University School of Communications, University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Missouri School of Journalism, and Boston University College of Communication.
The organization has influenced coverage on issues involving figures such as Harvey Milk, Ellen DeGeneres, RuPaul, Laverne Cox, Chaz Bono, and events like Stonewall riots, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal, Obergefell v. Hodges, Lawrence v. Texas, and Matthew Shepard coverage. It has lobbied editors regarding terminology around gender identity and sexual orientation, affecting style guides from Associated Press Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and outlet-specific manuals at The New York Times Company and Gannett Co., Inc.. The association’s work intersected with reporting on public policy from offices such as White House Press Office, rulings by Supreme Court of the United States, and legislative action in statehouses in California State Legislature, New York State Assembly, and Massachusetts General Court.
Critics, including commentators writing for National Review, The Federalist, City Journal, Weekly Standard, and The Spectator (US) have argued the association exerts undue influence on newsroom language and hiring practices. Disputes have arisen over its endorsements and conferences when speakers from Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, Lambda Legal, OutRight Action International, or corporate partners such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon (company) were invited. Debates about partisan perceived bias involved journalists associated with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, and prompted responses from press freedom advocates at Committee to Protect Journalists and legal organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom.
Category:LGBT journalism organizations