RE:ACT, the official blog of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), is a forum to discuss topics related to fair and accurate coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.
Blog posts also include news from NLGJA and updates from the Rapid Response Task Force (RRTF), a panel of working journalists from mainstream and LGBT media that answers complaints about reporting seen as unfair and/or inaccurate. (To learn more about the RRTF, see below.)
The opinions expressed by the bloggers and by people providing comments are theirs alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NLGJA, which is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the bloggers or by people providing comments.
Comments are subject to approval. If you own rights to any visual content and do not want it to appear on this blog, contact us for removal.
The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) is an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students that works from within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. NLGJA opposes all forms of workplace bias and provides professional development to its members.
NLGJA’s members come from rural to major metropolitan print, broadcast, and online newsrooms, as well as community-based LGBT media, academic institutions, and the public relations and communications profession. Our strength and respect in the industry comes from the diversity of our membership.
NLGJA members and staff work daily with our colleagues in the news industry to fulfill the organization’s mission of fair and accurate coverage. Sometimes, though, a more targeted response is required to promote greater understanding about how to fairly and accurately cover the LGBT community.
NLGJA’s answer to this is the Rapid Response Task Force (RRTF). This panel of working journalists from mainstream and LGBT media answers complaints about reporting seen as unfair and/or inaccurate by readers, viewers, listeners and our peer journalists.
Since its inception, the RRTF has not only informed countless newsrooms about appropriate terminology and the appearance of bias, but has also used these contacts to spread awareness about issues facing the LGBT community.
The RRTF depends on the eyes and ears of all media consumers to raise the red flag on problematic coverage.
Submit a link to a story that you believe is unfair or inaccurate. The RRTF will evaluate the submission, discuss it, and if appropriate, contact the newsroom in question. If a link isn’t available, please provide a written description of the story.
Items to which the RRTF usually does not respond include editorials (unless predicated on inaccurate information), op-ed pieces and letters to the editor.
Thank you for helping us fulfill our mission of fairness and accuracy in reporting! To join, click here.