The University of Missouri has received a $1 million estate gift to support journalism education and research into the connection between American journalism and the advancement of human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Timothy Blair, an alumnus of the MU School of Journalism and current resident of Bel-Air, California, says he is giving the gift to MU to advance the education of students of the world’s first school of journalism on the role media have played in reinforcing stereotypes and shaping new understandings of LGBT people in American culture.
“Examining journalism as a force of social change in our democracy is an essential academic pursuit,” Blair said. “I’m proud to say I’m making this gift as the first gift of its kind among American universities.”
“Today, 27 states, including Missouri, allow people to be fired from their jobs, evicted from housing and denied public accommodations and basic services based solely upon sexual orientation or identity. Yet, the views of most Americans toward the LGBT community, and same-sex marriage in particular, have reversed course dramatically,” Blair continued.
“What changed the hearts and minds of most Americans? My bet is it lies in the role of journalism as an integral part of American democracy,” Blair said. “These big questions require big answers, and I believe the MU School of Journalism, as the leader in American journalism education, is uniquely suited to find those answers.”
Blair’s gift will create the Timothy D. Blair Fund for LGBT Coverage in Journalism. The fund will support the faculty and students of the MU School of Journalism in the pursuit of understanding the media’s role in shaping perceptions about gender stereotypes, HIV/AIDS as a force of rapid social change, the advancement of LGBT civil rights within the context of same sex marriage, and the integration and acceptance of gay people and families into the fabric of American life.
Reviewed 2015-04-27