July 18, 2007
Media Contact: Rick Moore
415-314-8952
rmoore.rockway@alliant.edu

Rockway Institute Partners with GLAAD to Host San Francisco Media Training

Psychologists specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) topics and attending the American Psychological Association (APA) meeting in San Francisco August 17 to 20 will attend a media training organized by the Rockway Institute and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). 
 
Cindi Creager, national news director for GLAAD based in New York City, and Robert-Jay Green, Rockway Institute’s Executive Director, will conduct the training. It will prepare psychologists and other mental health professionals for encounters with the media that will be comfortable and effective. The session will cover deciding whether to accept an interview request, preparation for the interview, conducting the interview, and follow-up monitoring of resulting broadcasts, articles, or web postings.

Some of the professionals completing the training have been selected to participate in Rockway Institute’s “Scientific Accuracy in the Media” project, funded in part by the Gill Foundation. The project works to counter misrepresentation of scientific research by right-wing, antigay groups. Rockway has more than 30 experts who have agreed to be available to the media. Work is underway to identify experts in every state.

“Rockway experts are a major element in our efforts to counter the distortions of research by antigay groups,” said Rockway Executive Director Robert-Jay Green, PhD. “By training these experts to convey accurate information to the media and making them easily available to reporters across the nation, Rockway hopes to insure that coverage of stories about LGBT people will be more informative and based on reality rather than stereotypes.” 

The current roster of Rockway experts is available at www.RockwayInstitute.org under “For the Media.” Rockway experts provide authoritative information on a variety of LGBT issues, including same-sex marriage, lesbian/gay parenting, antigay bullying in schools, transgender matters, and conversion or “ex-gay” therapy.

For additional information on Rockway Institute or its “Scientific Accuracy in the Media” project, visit the website or contact Rick Moore, 415-314-8952 or rmoore.rockway@alliant.edu.