With two cases pending before the Supreme Court–the legality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8–gay marriage has become one of the day’s defining issues. Whether the justices choose to recognize same-sex marriage at the national level when they release their decisions this month, or whether it will remain legal on a state-by-state basis, how journalists cover the fight for marriage equality has profound implications–for our judiciary, for the public, and for gays and lesbians today.
On Wednesday, CJR is plunging into the debate by hosting a panel discussion on news coverage of gay marriage. Panelists include BuzzFeed reporter Chris Geidner, George Washington University Law Professor David Fontana, Steven Petrow, a New York Times columnist and former president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, and American Prospect columnist EJ Graff. The moderator is CJR’s own Minority Reports columnist, Jennifer Vanasco.
The event, at the Newseum from 3-4:30 pm, will be livestreamed, so be sure to check the site on Wednesday afternoon. For people in the Washington, DC, area interested in attending the panel, the RSVP form is here.
The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.