Identifying LGBTQ news dynamics : setting a research agenda of LGBTQ news from a social identity perspective

LGBTQ individuals have organized to create their own press, which was historically supported by perceptions that the mainstream press did not adequately serve their informational needs. While these outlets may have historically focused on political news, they have differentiated across a range of news domains, including and especially science coverage. This dissertation begins a research agenda to study news produced by LGBTQ people and institutions through the lens of a social identity perspective. The hope is to generate insights into the psycho-social factors that may (or may not) lead LGBTQ people to selectively attend to LGBTQ news or evaluate LGBTQ news differently from mainstream news. This work also presents the results of an experimental test of LGBTQ individuals’ evaluations of news in terms of information credibility, journalist expertise, and hostile media perceptions. Results suggest that the study of LGBTQ identities may not be as straightforward as the study of other identities in news, as the identities that comprise LGBTQ identity may behave differently from the overall LGBTQ identity. LGBTQ identities may offer a valuable set of identities in the study of mass communication.