For many GLAAD (Gay & Lebsian Alliance Against Defamation) has produced an annual report detailing the number and quality of LGBT characters on major US TV networks. However it’s now decided to end the practice.
Last year was the first time that a network (Fox) was graded as excellent, which seems to have caused GLAAD to feel that the Network Responsibility Index’s job is done and that it should find new way to work to raise the quality of gay representation on television.
GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis commented: “The ninth edition of the NRI marks the first time in the report’s history that a major broadcast network – FOX – received an ‘Excellent’ as a grade. This milestone highlights real change across the media landscape – especially considering that the network received a ‘Failing’ grade in the NRI’s first two editions.”
She added: “GLAAD’s Network Responsibility Index has helped reshape the television landscape, inspiring LGBT characters and storylines that move acceptance forward. As representations of LGBT people in the media continue to rise in number, pushing television networks to make those representations more diverse is more crucial than ever. This requires a different set of tools than the NRI provides, and as such GLAAD will shift focus to its annual TV diversity and transgender reports.”
Instead of the Responsibility Index, the organisation will focus on its Where We Are On TV Report, which is more about the diversity of LGBT representation than the quantity.
In the last Index, both Fox and ABC Family were graded excellent, with only two networks being seen as failing, both of which were cable documentary channels – A&E and History.
It’s believed the companion Responsibility Index, which details LGBT characters on films from the main US distributors, will continue.
Leave a Reply (if comment does not appear immediately, it may have been held for moderation)