An Experience Like No Other

By Patrick Bohn, September 21, 2023

Grant Johnson ’25 attends NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists national convention.

Grant Johnson '25 was one of 10 students selected as a CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project Cohort by NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.

(Photo by Becca Haydu)

Television & Digital Media Production major and Park Scholar Grant Johnson ’25 often pursues investigative stories with a goal of looking at an issue in a more substantiative way, beyond the typical face value. It should come as no surprise then, that he takes a similar approach to his education at Ithaca College, constantly looking for opportunities outside of the classroom.

It was that mentality that led him to spending a week in Philadelphia earlier this month, learning from some of the best journalists in the country during the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists national convention.

“I typically use the term ‘transformative’ hesitantly, but this week was one of the most transformative I’ve ever had.”

Grant Johnson '25

“I was searching for organizations that I could be a part of to grow professionally, and that’s when I found the NLGJA,” Johnson said. “I attended the Association’s virtual student convention this past March, and that’s when I found out that they were looking for students to attend their national convention in Philadelphia. When you have the chance to learn from journalists of that caliber, you throw your hat in the ring.”

Prior to the convention Johnson produced a video news story using equipment provided by the Association. (Photo by Becca Haydu)

Johnson applied to be one of the Association’s 2023 CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project Cohort members. A broadcast journalist at heart, he submitted several pieces of his work and was one of ten students selected. And while he was thrilled to be chosen, the reaction of his professors might have been even more exuberant.

“When I told [Professor of Theatre Arts] Catherine Weidner I’d been selected, she was so excited that she squealed,” Johnson recalled. “The support of her and others like [Assistant Professor of Journalism] Ashley Kang was tremendous.”

As the result of his selection, Johnson travelled to Philadelphia for a week in early September. The cohort arrived in the city a few days before the national convention was slated to start to work on their individual stories.

“The focus of our piece needed to be something going on in the local queer community,” he said. “Each of us was paired with a professional mentor who would help us through our process.”

Johnson chose to do a broadcast piece on Giovanni’s Room, which is the oldest LGBTQ bookstore in the country, and is named after the 1956 novel by James Baldwin, where a young man named Giovanni lives in Paris and struggles to come to terms with his sexuality.

You can watch Johnson's completed project, titled "Giovanni's Room: Queer Books in Broad Daylight."

“The interesting thing is, when this bookstore was founded in 1973, queer life in Philadelphia was secretive,” Johnson said. “And now, the bookstore has queer books out there in broad daylight. In fact, many of the books you can find at Giovanni’s Room are the books that are being taken off the shelves elsewhere.”

For several days, Johnson would conduct interviews and film b-roll before returning to a newsroom that had been set up by the Association. There, he used equipment to produce his final film with the help of his mentor, Aaron Randle, who is a podcast producer for Spotify.

“The knowledge that he — and all the mentors had —was incredible,” Johnson said. “I was in awe of the stories we were able to produce.”

After producing their stories, the cohort members attended the Convention, which ran for three days, and enabled attendees to hear from professional journalists at some of the biggest media companies in the world.

While at the convention, Johnson had the opportunity to connect with several media professionals, including MSNBC Anchor Johnathan Capehart (middle) and his Senior Producer, Shawn Reynolds.

(Photo by Becca Haydu)

“One of the sessions that really stood out to me was called ‘View From the Top’ where executives at companies like NBC, CNN, and the New York Times talked about how their organizations are covering the issues important to the LGBTQ+ community,” Johnson said. “It was kind of wild to listen to them, because they’re leaders in their field, and they were willing to sit with us, and share their secrets and advice.”

“I’m able to take these lessons I’ve learned and be more confident not only about reporting, but navigating my life in the field as a queer journalist, and that’s incredible.”

Grant Johnson '25

He also relished the opportunity to connect with journalists he’d previously interacted with online. And he believes that the advice he heard and the skills he developed throughout the week will benefit him not only during the rest of his time here at IC, but throughout his career.

“I typically use the term ‘transformative’ hesitantly, but this week was one of the most transformative I’ve ever had,” he said. “As queer journalist, you’re always going to be tasked with writing the stories about the queer community, and that can be great, but I didn’t think I was equipped with the resources to cover the issues of my community. But I’m able to take these lessons I’ve learned and be more confident not only about reporting, but navigating my life in the field as a queer journalist, and that’s incredible.”