2019 has seen historic and unprecedented media attention on LGBTQ Pride events, from World Pride in New York and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. From accurate and inclusive coverage of our community’s history to deeper, nuanced exploration of the issues facing LGBTQ people around the world to divisions within the community on what Pride means today, this plenary will explore from behind the scenes how the coverage played out. Join for a robust discussion of the hits, misses and challenges of covering our diverse community.
Moderator: Cathy Renna
Panelists: David Begnaud, Raymond Braun, Michelle Garcia, Shane O’Neill
DAVID BEGNAUD is the lead national correspondent for “CBS This Morning” based in New York. He joined the network in 2015 and his reporting, featured across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms including “CBS This Morning,” the “CBS Evening News,” “48 Hours,” CBS Sunday Morning” and CBSN, has earned him some of journalism’s most prestigious awards. He often uses long-form storytelling in longer pieces for regular broadcasts as well as original documentaries.
RAYMOND BRAUN is an award-winning media personality, producer and journalist. Most recently, Braun executive produced and hosted the documentary “State of Pride,” with Academy Award-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Braun has hosted TV series for MTV and Logo and covered events ranging from the Republican and Democratic conventions to the aftermath of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. He has been named a Forbes “30 Under 30 Global All Star,” the No. 1 most influential LGBTQ youth in the world by the Financial Times Pride Power Rankings and “one of the preeminent queer advocates of his generation” by Out. He was one of 50 media personalities to be invited by President Barack Obama to the White House’s inaugural “Digital Innovators Summit.” Braun is regularly interviewed and quoted on LGBTQ issues, social justice, politics and Pride, and has been profiled on “Morning Joe,” “The TODAY Show,” “Nightline,” “CBS This Morning,” CNN and many more.
MICHELLE GARCIA is the deputy editor for Vice.com’s News & Issues desk. Garcia has covered major social movements across the U.S., including the fight for marriage equality, #MeToo, and the Movement for Black Lives, to name a few. She was named to Folio’s list of 20 in their 20s, won a GLAAD Media Award with her staff about the advancement of the HIV treatment drug Truvada, taught at CUNY Graduate School Journalism and has coached several writers along the way. Previously, Michelle was an editor at Out, Vox, Mic and The Advocate.
SHANE O’NEILL is a senior video editor at The New York Times. During his tenure at The Times, he has produced the short documentary “Who Threw The First Brick at Stonewall?,” produced and edited the internet culture series “Internetting With Amanda Hess,” edited the geopolitics series “The Interpreter” and covered the 2016 U.S. presidential election. O’Neill’s work has won a Silver Medal for Society for News Design, honors from the Deadline Club, a RIAS award for his work on the documentary “Land of Good” and an Emmy nomination for The Times’ collaboration with POV, “Who, Me? Biased?”
CATHY RENNA is the principal of Target Cue, a premiere public relations and communications firm that focuses on LGBTQ and HIV-related issues and events and provides media training, strategic and crisis communications services to diverse nonprofit organizations. While working for GLAAD in 1998, she was dispatched to Laramie, Wyoming, immediately following the attack on Matthew Shepard and worked with journalists and community on the ground through the aftermath of his death, the trials and community impact. She has also worked with the Tectonic Theater Project on media and education related to “The Laramie Project.”
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