2025 NLGJA Student Conference

Objectivity and impartiality have long stood as some of the core values of journalism. Many newspapers and outlets hold their employees to strict Codes of Ethics, forbidding them from active involvement in partisan causes. However, the past few decades have seen a push back against these notions of objectivity, putting forth alternatives like “point-of-view journalism” and “advocacy journalism.” After political movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter hit the mainstream, more and more young people are identifying as activists. Is it possible to combine activism and journalism, or should there be a strict division between the two? In this session you’ll hear from an array of experts to answer these hotly debated questions. Learn how these terms have changed over time and what they mean in the 2025 media landscape.

We hear recruiters say, “bring your whole self,” to work, but that can be easier said than done. As queer journalists, how can we stay true to ourselves in a newsroom that might be hostile to us? In this session, attendees will hear from established journalists about how they approach their work with authenticity and integrity.

Join us in this session for a frank discussion of the experiences of queer people of color in the newsroom. All too often, coverage of LGBTQ+ identities and communities fails to take into account the intersections of identities beyond the realm of gender and sexuality. What does it mean to move through the world, and the newsroom, as a queer person of color?