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  "description": "I wrote about trust in creator journalism for Project C",
  "path": "/who-do-you-trust-to-report-on-trans-issues/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-29T00:39:42.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.amplifyrespect.com",
  "tags": [
    "Trans News Initiative",
    "New York Times Sign On Letter | GLAADFrom LGBTQ and allied leaders and organizations Join 100+ organizations and leaders in calling on the New York Times to improve their coverage of transgender people, click here. 4/22/2026 - Mother of Transgender Teen Confronts New York Times Leadership about Inaccurate, Weaponized Reporting of Transgender People: “What Steps Are You Taking to be Accountable?” 6/5/2025GLAAD | GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance.",
    "wrote about independent journalists earning audience trust through fact-checking",
    "Who do you trust? Inside how creator journalists earn it",
    "What even is “transgender ideology”?42 news outlets published misinformation, hurting trans peopleAmplify RespectRey Katz",
    "Read: Who do you trust? Inside how creator journalists earn it",
    "Video, newsrooms, and respect: What I learned at ONA25Takeaways from ONA25 on video, journalism, & respecting cultureAmplify RespectRey Katz",
    "how being unbiased is not the goal",
    "Throw being unbiased out the windowAn allegory on objectivity and tips on how to build trust as a creator journalistThe Creator TranslatorRahim Jessani",
    "TransLash | Telling Trans Stories to Save Trans LivesAt TransLash, we believe in the power of storytelling to save lives. Join us to amplify trans voices through podcasts, articles, zines, and films.TransLash Media",
    "Erin In The Morning | SubstackNews and discussion on trans legislation and life. Click to read Erin In The Morning, by Erin Reed, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.SubstackErin Reed",
    "LOOKOUTLOOKOUT is a nonprofit news site dedicated to covering Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.LOOKOUTGeri Koeppel (she/her)"
  ],
  "textContent": "Trans people are unfortunately in the news often, especially in the US. (The Trans News Initiative data visualization shows how many varied articles are out there.)\n\nAnd you know, if you're reading this, that prestigious news outlets have been willing to publish wrong information about trans people. I'm not talking about conservative opinions here - I'm talking about actual incorrect facts getting printed in major newspapers.\n\nNew York Times Sign On Letter | GLAADFrom LGBTQ and allied leaders and organizations Join 100+ organizations and leaders in calling on the New York Times to improve their coverage of transgender people, click here. 4/22/2026 - Mother of Transgender Teen Confronts New York Times Leadership about Inaccurate, Weaponized Reporting of Transgender People: “What Steps Are You Taking to be Accountable?” 6/5/2025GLAAD | GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance.\n\nI recently wrote about independent journalists earning audience trust through fact-checking, for _Project C_ , the research hub, community, and strategic home for creator journalists building independent publications.\n\nWho do you trust? Inside how creator journalists earn it\n\nAs I was writing this piece on how independent journalists can build trust, a question in my mind was, \"why is the baseline for our industry so bad when reporting on trans people?\"\n\nI was carefully stepping around making the case for LGBTQIA+ people reporting on topics related to our own experiences. I believe many of us find it important to share the true facts of what it's like to be gay or trans. People outside our community don't have a vested interest in showing our humanity.\n\nI trust reporting by trans people on trans people, because I believe them to be _more objective_.\n\nThat's my opinion, but it's also backed up by research.\n\nFor example, after the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, research conducted by the Trans Journalists Association showed that 42 outlets published misinformation, blaming \"transgender ideology\" for the murder.\n\nWhat even is “transgender ideology”?42 news outlets published misinformation, hurting trans peopleAmplify RespectRey Katz\n\nA trans journalist looks at a headline with the words \"transgender ideology\" and immediately knows that this is some bullshit, forgive my language.\n\nThe next step should be finding references or sources to back up that assertion, and to have the misinformation removed from the article before publication. The community knowledge or gut check is not, itself, a fact. But it is a helpful prerequisite for recognizing what needs to be challenged through fact-checking.\n\nThese newspapers should be doing their own fact-checking. It should not take a volunteer team from the Trans Journalists Association to compile all the instances of misinformation. I think more trans people working in newsrooms could help identify such incorrect claims.\n\nCertainly, some independent outlets are in the business of spreading misinformation about LGBTQIA+ people. Being independent doesn't make you reliable.\n\nSo I'd encourage you to think critically about who produces journalism and how trustworthy they are. _Project C_ provides guidance for evaluating creators as a reader:\n\nRead: Who do you trust? Inside how creator journalists earn it\n\nI've appreciated Project C's support for my work since they granted me the opportunity to attend the ONA conference last fall:\n\nVideo, newsrooms, and respect: What I learned at ONA25Takeaways from ONA25 on video, journalism, & respecting cultureAmplify RespectRey Katz\n\nA creator journalist I had the pleasure of meeting at ONA, Rahim Jessani, the founder of Bottom Up Media, recently wrote about how being unbiased is not the goal. \"Unbiased\" can be unfairly cited as a reason for editors to tell BIPOC journalists they can't write about their own communities. Rather than conforming to discriminatory norms, being open with your audience about your bias is perhaps even more objective.\n\nJessani wrote, \"That transparency matters most when you are the only person of your race, religion, gender, or nationality in the room — the only one making decisions about how a story gets framed. It's why the word \"unbiased\" lands differently for journalists of color.\"\n\nRead the full story here:\n\nThrow being unbiased out the windowAn allegory on objectivity and tips on how to build trust as a creator journalistThe Creator TranslatorRahim Jessani\n\n## Some independent media I trust\n\n### TransLash\n\nTransLash | Telling Trans Stories to Save Trans LivesAt TransLash, we believe in the power of storytelling to save lives. Join us to amplify trans voices through podcasts, articles, zines, and films.TransLash Media\n\n### Erin in the Morning\n\nErin In The Morning | SubstackNews and discussion on trans legislation and life. Click to read Erin In The Morning, by Erin Reed, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.SubstackErin Reed\n\n### LOOKOUT Arizona\n\nLOOKOUTLOOKOUT is a nonprofit news site dedicated to covering Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.LOOKOUTGeri Koeppel (she/her)\n\n**Who do you trust and recommend to report on trans issues? Please let us know in the comments.**",
  "title": "Who do you trust to report on trans issues?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-29T00:39:43.854Z"
}