by Joe Siegel

News Is Out, an LGBTQ media collaborative, has received $250,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to launch a research project to document the status of LGBTQ media in the U.S.

The LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project is in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, City University of New York’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Center for Community Media, and the Local Media Foundation, which hosts News Is Out.

This funding is part of MacArthur’s Local News Program, with $20 million in grants announced this month. MacArthur launched the program last year with a commitment of at least $150 million in new grant-making to local news over five years, and the potential of $25 million in additional impact investments. This latest round of grants brings the total committed to date to more than $90 million.

“LGBTQ+ media have often been left behind when it comes to new types of funding, in part because it’s difficult to quantify who and where we are,” said Tracy Baim, research lead and co-founder of Chicago-based Windy City Times, a member of the News is Out collaborative. Baim wrote a history of LGBTQ media, “Gay Press, Gay Power,” a decade ago. Since that time, many outlets have closed, but many new digital-first outlets have been launched.

“It’s important to have this information so we can take it to potential funders in those areas of the country to make sure those media outlets are counted. What I hope it helps do is show the gaps too,” Baim said. “So let’s say you’re a publication in one state and there’s nothing we found for LGBTQ media in the next state over. Does it make sense to see if there could be resources to expand additional coverage?”

Local Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable trust, brings all media together to share, network, and collaborate, according to the group. More than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, digital news organizations, and research and development partners engage with Local Media Association as members or constituents of our programs.

Over 80 local media outlets will be sent surveys in January. Surveys will be sent out to the national outlets in February. Baim said the goal is to release the data in June or July.

“That’s a pretty quick turnaround but we feel like it would be great to have it available for upcoming conferences, to make sure that information is shared with the philanthropic world,” Baim added.

The seven members of News Is Out are Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco); Dallas Voice; Los Angeles Blade; Philadelphia Gay News; Tagg Magazine; Washington Blade (D.C.); and Windy City Times. News Is Out will be adding affiliate members in early 2025.

Hanna Siemaszko is the research associate on the project. Penny Riordan, Local Media Association’s director of business strategy and partnerships, is overseeing the project.

LGBTQ media outlets should contact newsisout@localmedia.org if they want to participate in the project.

IN THE NEWS
Volume 26
Issue 11