| WASHINGTON
- August 30 - NBC Today Show co-anchor Katie Couric will headline the 8th Annual
Convention of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA).
Couric will serve as the
speaker at the convention's opening reception Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. (ET),
at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, located at 165 Courtland (at International Boulevard.)
The theme for the 1999 convention
is "Shattering Stereotypes: Equal Writes in the Newsroom." Convention programs
will address coverage of lesbian and gay-related news as well as workplace issues
of unique concern to gay professionals. Special focus will be given to the changing
roles of print journalists and editors, covering grief on television, the impact
of the Internet on journalism, the gay and lesbian press, gay content on the small
and silver screen, as well as health and wellness issues. Journalist members will
also have the opportunity to take part in enhancement trainings for career skills.
The four-day event, hosted
by the Atlanta chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association,
will bring together more than 550 journalists from across the United States and
Canada. Participants and speakers include members working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and other major newspapers, broadcasters, gay-owned publications and media outlets,
new media and online services, as well as Atlanta-based CNN and every major television
network. All speakers and programs are scheduled to take place at the Sheraton
Atlanta Hotel.
In addition to Couric, prominent
journalists, public policy representatives, filmmakers, and notables will be featured,
including:
-- Richard Kaplan, president
of CNN/US
-- Cynthia Tucker, editor
of the Atlanta Constitution
-- Deborah Mathis, national
correspondent for Gannett News Service
-- Judy Shepard, mother
of murdered gay college student Matthew Shepard
-- David Lee, co-creator
and executive producer of the NBC television show "Frasier"
-- Chris Crain, editor and
co-publisher of Atlanta-based Southern Voice, and managing partner of Window Media,
a lesbian and gay newspaper group
-- NLGJA member Jonathan
Capehart, Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer for the New York Daily News
-- Walter Schubert, chairman
and founder of Gay Financial Network (gfn.com), and
chairman and CEO of Schubert Group International Ltd., a member firm of NYSE and
NASD
-- Victor Barnes, associate
director for International HIV/AIDS Prevention-Division of HIV/AIDS prevention-intervention,
research and support for the Centers for Disease Control
Working journalists may
receive schedule details, speaker bios and press background by request and at
the Atlanta convention site.
The NLGJA, founded in 1990,
works within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of lesbian
and gay issues and opposes newsroom bias against gays and lesbians and all other
minorities. NLGJA currently has over 1,350 members and 23 chapters in the United
States and Canada with an affiliate in Germany. The organization is headquartered
in Washington, D.C. The headquarters telephone number is 202-588-9888, and the
Web site is located at www.nlgja.org.
Please Note: During the
Atlanta convention, between Sept. 16-19, all NLGJA contacts may be made directly
to the NLGJA convention and press desk at the Sheraton Hotel by calling Ms. Cindy
Abel's cell phone 202-486-7832
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