”Journalism’s Closet Opens”

from “Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America” by Larry Gross
Presentation Analysis by MaiLei Meyers
About the Author

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Larry Gross

▸ Areas of Expertise: Communication Theory,

Ethics, IDEA, Information and Communication
Technologies, Mass Media, Media Effects, and
Media Portrayals
▸ Undergraduate: Brandeis University
▸ Master’s: Columbia University
▸ University of Pennsylvania faculty member, 1968
▸ ”Contested Closets: The Politics and Ethics of
Outing” (University of Minnesota Press)
▸ 1998 Guggenheim Fellow
▸ Currently: Professor of Communication at the
University of Southern California’s Annenberg
School of Communication - B.A. and Ph.D.
programs.

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Key Concepts

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 “
“With the advent of AIDS it became more difficult to maintain
the practice of denial about homosexuality, as more and
more prominent men fell ill and died. But the media often
cooperated in turning celebrity coffins into permanent
closets” (Gross 110).

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 The Gatekeepers

▸ Case Study: The New York Times (aka “The Gray Lady”)
○ ”The immense power of the Times generally has
made the paper fairly slow to notice or respond to
changes in society, as the paper seems to feel it has a
responsibility to serve as a brake rather than a
locomotive” (Gross 113).
○ The Sulzberger family
○ Abe Rosenthal, Managing Editor
○ Max Frankel, Managing Editor
▸ The management styles and social beliefs of those at the
head of the Times had a major impact on the publication’s
outlook.
○ “… “news judgement”--knowing what is and is not
a “story,” whether a story deserves front page or
back-page placement, and how a story should be
presented” (Gross 114).
○ “Rosenthal’s reign was described by many as a
period of paranoia and terror at the Times” (Gross
118).
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“Mainstreaming”
Context
”On one hand, the media are paying more
attention to issues of primary concern to gay
people […]. On the other hand, gay people
are becoming a part of the landscape that
does not require special justification to be
included in news stories that do not directly
concern homosexuality” (Gross 123).
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Motive
”Part of the paper’s response has been
to appeal to younger readers, and gay
and lesbian readers ( a group much less
likely to flee to the suburbs) are
prominent among those it is trying to
reach” (Gross 121).
Change
“…the moment that most dramatically
marked the gaying of the Gray Lady was
the column of November 15, 1991, by
former editor Abe Rosenthal, titled
“Hidden Harassment”” (Gross 124).
 Print and Beyond

Print Broadcast Examples

▸ Jeffrey Schmalz, New ▸ ” … the number of openly ▸ Garret Glaser, KNBC-TV
York Times (p. 123) gay on-air journalists can L.A. (p. 128)
▸ Leroy Aarons, be counted on the fingers ▸ “ … ”the aura of
Oakland Tribune (p. of one hand … “ (Gross availability” that
124) 128). surrounds women
▸ “Broadcast executives are reporters would be
ambivalent about the shattered if they were
prospect of openly gay known to be lesbian”
reporters, although in big (Gross 129). – Barbara
cities at least they are Raab
aware that this is an ▸ David Brudnoy, right-
inevitable development” wing radio talk show
(Gross 128). personality (p. 130)

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Where Are WE
Now?

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 Modern Context

Ellen Anton
Don Lemon
Degeneres Krasovsky

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 Discussion
What are the similarities and differences between how celebrities and broadcast
journalists are perceived by the public in moments of change? How may
“mainstreaming” play into the comparison?

How may cultural variations in public figure ”outings” impact the way we perceive
these topics? Does anyone have insight or predictions into how a news anchor
coming out would be handled in varying social and cultural settings?

Is our perception of LGBTQ+ social acceptance warped when considering the many
industries and communities that are still in opposition? Where does silence factor
into perpetuating social stigmas, especially in the workplace?

Is there a threshold of professional autonomy one must pass for it to be “safe” to

come out in journalism or any industry? Ex. Robin Roberts vs. your local news
anchor. How do gatekeepers play a role in this?

When does journalistic objectivity become relevant when analyzing mainstream

news media and its political and social leanings? Do we have a double standard
for the objectivity of broadcast news versus print news?

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 Thanks!

any
questions
?

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