Washington Blade launches LA edition, Latin America reporting project
by Joe Siegel and Fred Kuhr
The Washington Blade, based in the nation’s capital, announced plans to launch a new sister publication, the Los Angeles Blade, on March 24.
The Los Angeles Blade will cover Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and will feature national and international coverage from the Washington Blade’s reporting team. Troy Masters, a veteran of LGBT media, will serve as publisher and editor of the new venture. Veteran Los Angeles journalist Karen Ocamb was named senior contributing writer.
Masters founded Lesbian and Gay New York, or LGNY, in 1989. It was relaunched as Gay City News in 2002. He departed Gay City News in 2015, where he worked as associate publisher, to relocate to Los Angeles and launch The Pride L.A.
“We believe the L.A. market is underserved and deserves an LGBT-owned publication that serves the community with quality journalism,” said Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff, who will serve as national editor of the Los Angeles Blade.
Naff said there are no plans to bring the Blade to more locations.
“This was a one-off, unique opportunity in the country’s second-largest market and we are not expanding to other cities,” Naff added.
The first edition of 20,000 copies will be available March 24 at Los Angeles bars, restaurants, gyms and other locations popular with LGBT Angelenos. It will begin on a bi-weekly schedule with plans to publish weekly in the near future. The web site is www.losangelesblade.com.
In other Blade news, the newspaper announced that it is launching a Latin American reporting project. International News Editor Michael K. Lavers is slated to travel throughout Latin American over the next year to report on the state of LGBT people throughout the region.
Lavers was already sent to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, with additional trips planned to Cuba, Colombia and Chile.
According to the Blade, Lavers will interview LGBT activists, politicians, and candidates while also reporting on anti-LGBT violence and discrimination in the region.
“This new project will shine a light on the challenges and progress in Latin America related to LGBT rights,” said editor Naff. “We will work to hold elected officials accountable, report on hate crimes, expose the cruelty of HIV criminalization laws and much more.”
IN THE NEWS
Volume 18
Volume 18
Issue 12
