7 conversations on journalism best practices for covering trans communities

In honor of Transgender Awareness Week, we’re sharing evergreen resources and expert advice for journalists reporting on trans communities.

These guides and resources offer best practices for accurate and ethical coverage:

1. Tips for navigating uncertain gender identity during breaking news – Trans Journalists Association
2. Covering trans issues well just means doing journalism well – Source
3. Getting it right: Reporting on laws that prohibit gender-affirming care for minors – Association of Health Care Journalists
4. Reporting on Anti-Trans Legislation: In Service to Whom? – Solidarity Journalism Initiative
5. The complexities and nuances of transgender coverage – Columbia Journalism Review
6. Trans and gender-fluid kids are under attack. How can we tell their stories without furthering harm? – Poynter
7. How journalists can improve their coverage of the trans community – NBCU Academy

Updated Style Guide & Coverage Resources

The TJA Style Guide now includes:

• A new guide to identifying transgender people during breaking news.
• Supplemental international reporting guides highlighting cultural differences in trans terms and identities.
• The Spanish translation of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Journalism Ethics’ Extractive Interviews Tool.
• A separate, expanded entry for “gender ideology.”
• Enhanced cultural context around hormone therapy.
• Clearer distinctions between social, medical, and legal transition in our transition glossary.

Further Reading & Tools

• Poynter’s collection of LGBTQ+ coverage resources
• GLAAD Media Reference Guide
• Source: Covering LGBTQ+ Issues

This resource was originally published as part of a newsletter on November 15, 2023.