Wow.
“We had been told that essentially we’d be sold down the road,” SoVo Editor Laura Douglas-Brown tells CL. “We had no inclination it’d be this morning. Everyone’s in shock right now.”This is sad to hear. It does, however, raise the question of the role of the gay press in the 21st century. Are they still needed? Certainly the mainstream media covers gay issues, but not as much as a gay publication would. And while gay blogs contain a lot of news, we don't go to the White House and question spokesman Robert Gibbs on a regular basis - Kerry Eleveld of the Advocate does. I'm not willing to write the gay press off just yet, but like every other print publication, I suspect they're still trying to figure out their niche for this new media era.
SoVo News Editor Dyana Bagby tells CL that a news budget had been prepared for this week’s issue. She covered two events this weekend and was going to write up articles for the publication.
“The thing to keep in mind is that this is not just Southern Voice,” Douglas-Brown says. “This is also the Washington Blade, which has been the gay paper of record for our country for the last 40 years. And David Magazine and the paper in Fort Lauderdale. It’s not just a loss for the employees, but the gay community as well.”
