NLGJA 2026 National Convention

Justin Myers

Chicago Public Media

Graphics editor

United States

justinmyers.net/

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About me

Journalist, tinkerer, crocheter, parent. Graphics editor, Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ. they/any

8:30am PDT

First Timers Morning Meet-Up Waterfront B First Timers Morning Meet-Up Waterfront A

9:00am PDT

Morning Coffee Klatch Seacliff FoyerPhRMA

9:45am PDT

Sound Like Yourself: Using Your Voice Across Audio and Video Seacliff BGeorge Bodarky

11:00am PDT

Covering A Divided Nation: Lessons from Black and Brown Media Seacliff BDa'Shaun Harrison • Sonali Kohli • Anajana Nagarajan-Butaney • Mariana Duran Flores Follow the Money: AI and the Cross-Platform Global Newsroom Seacliff CJosh Eidelson • Rakshita Saluja • Todd Gillespie • Lynn Doan • Ben Steverman • Bloomberg Radical, Unreasonable Queer Hospitality Now Seacliff D The Reality of Freelance Journalism Today Seacliff AK Petrin • Soleil Ho • Katherine Lewis

12:00pm PDT

First Timers Brown Bag Meet-Up Waterfront A

1:15pm PDT

View from the Top Grand Ballroom AMissy Spears • Claudio Cabrera • Stuart Boslow • Rakshita Saluja

2:30pm PDT

Coffee Break Cafe Seacliff FoyerMaynard Institute

3:00pm PDT

Expanding the Frame: Including Trans and Gender-Expansive Communities in Your Coverage Seacliff BK Petrin • Drew Costley • Jireh Deng • Lex McMenamin Navigating Risk: Practical Safety for LGBTQ+ Journalists covering ICE in the US Seacliff CJennifer Nelson • Tat Bellamy Walker • Clara-Sophia Daly

4:15pm PDT

Diversity is More Than Staffing, It’s News Coverage: Ensuring More Missing People of Color Make the Headlines Seacliff CJonathan Franklin Inside Scoop: Building Sources Inside an Administration in Upheaval Seacliff DK Petrin • Martin Shelton • Claire Savage Primary Sources First: How to Build Custom AI Tooling for Investigations Seacliff A

5:30pm PDT

Fireside Chat Grand Ballroom A

7:00pm PDT

Opening Reception Waterfront CDE

8:30am PDT

Trans and Nonbinary Meet Up Waterfront B

9:30am PDT

Finding the Real AI Story Seacliff DThe Wall Street Journal If We Built Queer Journalism Today, Would We Call It a Newsroom? Seacliff AEvan Milward • Missy Spears • Divya Karthikeyan • Alex Cooper Ripped from the Headlines: A Fireside Chat with LGBTQ+ Documentary Filmmakers Seacliff BMeg Shutzer • Hansen Bursic • LaTajh Weaver

10:45am PDT

Triplett Series - The Road Ahead Has Many Paths: How Can Media Meet at the Intersections of Faith, Gender, Race and Class? Grand Ballroom AKierra Johnson • Cathy Renna • Caitlyn Ryan • Christopher Wiggins

12:15pm PDT

QPOC Brownbag Meet-Up Waterfront A Women's+ Brownbag Meet-Up Waterfront B

1:45pm PDT

Leveling Up the Narrative: Journalists' Contributions to HIV Prevention and Care Grand Ballroom AGilead Sciences

3:00pm PDT

Coffee Break Cafe Seacliff FoyerMaynard Institute

3:30pm PDT

LGBTQ+ Women in News Seacliff C Navigating a Career in Broadcast and Advocating for Yourself Seacliff BSAG-AFTRA The Podcast Era: Audio & Video Storytelling, Queer Narratives and Holding Space Seacliff DPJ Brescia • Ryan Lu

4:45pm PDT

A Tale of Two States: The Role of the Media in Informing Voters about Ballot Initiatives in the 2026 Midterm Elections Seacliff DAnna Castro • Sara Mar • Nadine Bridges • Robert Fischer • Transgender Law Center The Art of the Slow Burn: A Masterclass in Long-Form Pacing and Narrative Writing Seacliff AJeremy Fox • Terra King • Denny Nivens • Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

6:00pm PDT

Diversity Reception Waterfront CDE

7:30pm PDT

Spectrum Dinner TBACNN & TNT Sports

8:00am PDT

QPOC Morning Meet Up Waterfront A

9:00am PDT

From the Daily Beat to the Best-Seller: How to Turn Your Reporting Into a Book Seacliff A How to Speak Red State Seacliff B

10:15am PDT

Beyond the Horserace: Covering The Real Stakes of the Midterms Grand Ballroom ALevi Kalish • Lex McMenamin

1:00pm PDT

Here I Am World All of Me at Last: The Origin and Impact of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Grand Ballroom A

2:45pm PDT

What in the L? Reclaiming the Word “Lesbian” Seacliff BSunny Leerasanthanah • Franco Stevens • Laila AnnMarie Stevens

4:00pm PDT

The Future of Queer & Trans Media Seacliff BSalgu Wissmath • Soleil Ho • Kit O'Connell

5:15pm PDT

Convention CONNECTions: A Showcase of Student Work Grand Ballroom AVersant • Kellogg Foundation

7:30pm PDT

Closing Reception Full Grand Ballroom