PressPassQThe October 2009 issue of Press Pass Q (“A Newsletter and Trade Publication for the LGBT Media Professional”) is a special edition covering the 2009 NLGJA conference in Montreal.

The main story covers the LGBT media summit panel titled “Prop. 8 + Web 2.0 = Stonewall 2.0” about the intersection of social media, newsgathering and activism:

“[Press Pass Q editor and moderator of the panel Fred] Kuhr peppered panelists about the phenomenon of Stonewall 2.0. “Is there [really] a Stonewall 2.0?” he asked. “Where do citizen journalists fit into the LGBT movement or the LGBT activist picture?” For that matter, what does the future hold for print media journalists in this brave new web world?

“A lively exchange followed, one that underscored a tension within the professional association of NLGJA, between “old” media, or traditional LGBT journalists, and “new” media, the bloggers and citizen journalists who are sometimes viewed within the association more as political activists than practitioners of the craft of journalism.”

The second story covers the LGBT media summit panel titled “Ad Wars” about how publishers are surviving the recession. I was one of the panelists, who also included Josh Rosenzweig, senior vice president of integrated marketing for Here Networks and Regent Media, and David Walberg, publisher and editor at large for Toronto-based Pink Triangle Press. Press Pass Q contributor Chuck Colbert was the moderator.

The third story covers the LGBT media summit panel titled “LGBT Deep Throats” about whether LGBT media should spend resources on stories critical of LGBT issues. Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, was the moderator. Panelists included Philadelphia Gay News editor Sarah Blazucki and California-based activist and blogger Fred Karger.

The fourth story covers the NLGJA conference plenary titled “Is NLGJA Necessary?” about the future of the organization. Geoff Dankert, assistant news director at WFLD FOX News Chicago, was the moderator. David Steinberg, NLGJA’s president, and Michael Tune, NLGJA’s managing director, were the panelists:

“The answer is yes,” Steinberg said. “We need voices in the newsroom. If we don’t have members who are trained, employed, and inside the newsroom, then who can raise issues of fairness and accurate coverage? If not us, then who?” If we’re not there, “it will be a hell of a lot more difficult to get our issues dealt with.”