What will the socialist future of journalism look like?
Michael Key (he/him) is the photo editor of the Washington Blade newspaper, the nation’s oldest, and one of the largest LGBT newspapers. He is the chief political photographer for the National LGBTQ Media Association, which represents twelve LGBT newspapers across the country. His photos appear all across the country and often get licensed by the New York Times or the Washington Post. Key was born and raised in Ada, Oklahoma, but made his way here to DC when he was about 16. He has lived in the area ever since as a photojournalist, editor and writer. He has also directed a few music videos in his time for Logo, et cetera. Currently, he Alex: Today, I wanted to talk about journalism and, specifically, the future of journalism. But before we sort of dive into that little dicey topic, I wanted to get your perspective on what you think some of the larger problems for journalism are right now, both that you have experienced but also, if you want, general trends. Michael: Okay, on a personal note, the thing I’ve experienced the most is that there is a lot of homophobia in the (media) with photographers specifically. Most journalists, like the reporters, are not that homophobic or transphobic, but I’ve heard plenty of homophobic and transphobic nonsense coming out of other photographers’ mouths. Many times, when they find out that I’m with The Blade, they want nothing further to do with me. It’s sort of an old boys club, an old white boys club, and very conservative in that regard. So that’s a personal issue.
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