by Mark Segal - Philadelphia Gay News

Golden age of journalism?

I'm going to take a liberty and break one of my major rules about LGBT publishing that dictates that all coverage must be about or for the LGBT community.

That rule is typically in place because we have mainstream media for all non-LGBT issues. Unless it pertains directly to the LGBT community, it should not be in LGBT media. Now, of course, many mainstream topics, like politics, affect LGBT people so it doesn't mean we can't report on it - like when President Trump tweeted about transgender people in the military. That is LGBT.

In a way, that dovetails into what this column is about: my pride in journalism, and particularly mainstream media, which, thanks to President Trump, is in a golden era. Today's news has me glued to outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post, which keep trying to outdo the other. And, by the way, they have been accurate 99.9 percent of the time - unlike the information coming from White House briefings, which should be tagged #fakebriefings.

Not only have the Times and Post stepped up to the plate, but let's hand it to MSNBC, CNN to a lesser extent and even Fox's Chris Wallace and Shepard Smith. And let's not forget my old friend, the great Andrea Mitchell of NBC News.

But I must admit that two of my newest favorites are Nicolle Wallace of MSNBC and Ana Navarro of CNN. Navarro is a Republican consultant, and Wallace a former Republican and also former communications director for the Bush administration. They both give even-handed analyses and, at times, break news through their long list of sources.

If you've been worried about the state of this country, watch real news and know that the fifth estate, as a free press is often called, is doing its duty. It makes those of us in that profession proud to be working in a country that embraces freedom of the press - and a press that keeps that light of liberty burning bright.

Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation's most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. His recently published best selling memoir, And Then I Danced, is available on Amazon.com

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