NLGJA 2026 National Convention

Everybody is talking about AI. But who is actually using it well? In this practical session, OpenAI Academy will share AI workflows for journalists, shaped by actual newsroom experience: finding sharper story angles, preparing better interviews, making sense of messy documents, cleaning up data, and improving drafts. You will leave with ways to start using AI today, grounded in how journalists actually work. The goal is simple: spend less time wrestling with tedious tasks, and more time doing the journalism only humans can do.

This roundtable invites journalists to leave their favorite tables and bar stools and join culinary professionals for real talk about what radical, unreasonable and queer hospitality looks like, past and present.  Long before Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place” in “The Great Good Place,” bars, restaurants and cafes were sites for “regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.” This roundtable focuses on real examples from queer communities across the Americas. Speakers include not only restauranteurs and writers but also growers, distributors, and others currently involved in radical, unreasonable, and queer hospitality. 

How did the Bay Area Reporter manage to become the longest continuously published LGBTQ+ newspaper in America? Find out in a panel session with the publisher, editors and freelance writers, who reveal how the paper has built foundations from its modest beginnings. With a strong tradition of representation, the nation’s oldest queer newspaper has adapted into the 21st century with innovation while maintaining journalistic integrity.

When the federal government undergoes seismic shifts, critical stories can remain hidden behind a climate of uncertainty. For journalists, the challenge is twofold: breaking through the silence of a shell-shocked federal workforce and ensuring the safety of those who risk their livelihoods to speak. This session offers a deep dive into high-stakes sourcing during the sweeping policy changes of the second Trump administration. This discussion will go beyond basic beat reporting. Attendees will examine techniques for identifying and cultivating internal sources — particularly those who remain inside agencies despite vast layoffs and abrupt policy shifts — and the logistics and ethics of protecting LGBTQ+ sources and other vulnerable whistleblowers who fear retaliation.

Discover what makes an AI story worth telling and why most aren't. Not every AI story deserves a headline. Learn how journalists cut through the noise to find compelling stories about people, business and the real-world impact of emerging technology. Participants will have the opportunity to pitch their own story ideas and receive feedback on what makes them newsworthy.

We are living in the podcast era where audio and video formats shape how stories are shared, experienced and trusted across platforms. From podcasts and video podcasts to YouTube and social video, these mediums have become essential tools for journalists, creators, and storytellers seeking deeper connection with audiences. This session takes a closer look at audio and video work through the lens of queer narratives, format, and creative approach. The panel brings together perspectives from journalism, platform building, and modern creator culture to examine how queer stories evolve across formats while maintaining trust, care, and responsibility to their communities. Attendees will learn how to translate lived experience into compelling audio and video, select formats that best support both message, and audience and think intentionally about tone, structure and audience connection. The panel will also examine discoverability, distribution and sustainability — offering insight into how queer voices reach audiences across platforms in ways that feel authentic. Designed for journalists, creators, students and media professionals at any stage, this session offers practical tools and guiding principles for navigating the podcast era with intention, creativity and inclusivity.

With anti-trans ballot initiatives emerging as the latest front in the fight against LGBTQ+ rights — and millions of dollars flooding into misleading anti-trans advertising — what responsibility does the media have in ensuring voters are accurately informed about trans rights on the ballot this midterm election? Join leading strategists from Colorado and Missouri — two states facing ballot initiatives this year — alongside advocates from the Transgender Law Center for a timely conversation on the media’s critical role in shaping public understanding, countering misinformation and equipping voters with the facts they need to make informed decisions.

The days of the "tough-love" editor or news director screaming at you across a crowded newsroom are officially dead, or at least they should be. As news organizations navigate monumental change in staffing, tech, trust, and audience interest, this panel brings together a diverse group of media leaders to discuss how to motivate, manage, and mentor in this ever-changing profession. Whether you are an established executive or an aspiring manager, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to build trust, foster inclusive environments, and even under the tightest deadlines, guide your team through change with empathy—proving that you don’t have to rule with an iron fist to break the big stories.