FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 10, 2019
PRESS CONTACT: Dillon Lewis
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC – Today NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced that Reuters Deputy Managing Editor for Operations Arlyn Gajilan is the recipient of the 2019 NLGJA Leadership Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made a positive impact on their newsrooms by increasing diversity and improving news coverage of the LGBTQ community.
“Arlyn has been a champion of LGBTQ journalists and coverage through her work at Reuters,” said NLGJA President Sharif Durhams. “Arlyn has actively worked with company executives to elevate LGBTQ voices and introduce resources to her newsroom. She has been a fierce promoter of NLGJA’s work in and out of the newsroom and has fostered our friendly relationship with Reuters. She embodies the spirit of this award.”
Gajilan helps manage the news agency’s bureaus from Toronto to Santiago and San Francisco to New York. She works across a range of newsroom priorities including recruiting new talent, diversity initiatives and special projects, as well as editorial security and safety. Prior to joining Reuters, she has worked as a senior editor at Newsweek, Forbes.com, Condé Nast, Time and Fortune. She is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Hampshire College.
“I’ve seen firsthand how a lack of diversity in newsrooms has hindered reporting, left critical stories untold and rendered communities invisible,” said Gajilan. “Inclusion leads to better journalism, which leads to smarter decisions and stronger societies. Over the course of my career, I’ve been fortunate to work with others who share that belief. I’m grateful to those who cleared a path forward for me and I hope to pay such opportunities forward. I am honored and thrilled to receive this year’s NLGJA Leadership Award.”
The NLGJA Leadership Award is made possible through the generosity and support of Randy Lovely and the Gannett Foundation.
Gajilan will receive the NLGJA Leadership Award at the 2019 NLGJA National Convention, August 29 to September 1 at the InterContinental New Orleans. Learn more at www.nlgja.org/2019.
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About NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists
NLGJA is an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students working from within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ issues. NLGJA opposes all forms of workplace bias and provides professional development to its members. For more information, visit www.nlgja.org.