When LGBTQ+ news disappears locally, what replaces it? A new national podcast series is asking that question.
“The Map of Us,” hosted by Dana Piccoli of News is Out, is a seven-episode limited series designed to “bring the findings of the LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project to life through candid conversations with the journalists and publishers doing the work.”
The series serves as a public companion to the LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project, a national study led by Tracy Baim in partnership with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. The project was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with support from the Local Media Association and News is Out.
The Media Mapping Project documented 174 LGBTQ+ media outlets across the United States. Baim and Hanna Siemaszko’s study confirmed “what many in the field already knew: Queer media is widespread, deeply local and operating on razor-thin margins. Nearly half of the outlets run on less than $100,000 a year, yet they’re covering their communities in places where other media isn’t.”
At the same time, the research revealed significant gaps. Baim noted in the Dallas Voice back in September 2025 that 18 states have no LGBTQ+ media and that many city-based publications are unable to cover their entire states. “That means millions of people have no local LGBTQ+ media coverage,” she wrote.
Each episode of “The Map of Us” focuses on a core finding from the research. Topics include queer news deserts, shrinking revenues, reporting under threat in states passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, collaboration as a survival strategy, leadership and ownership gaps and the increasing reliance on philanthropy and reader support as traditional advertising models erode.
The opening episode features Baim in conversation with journalist Alexander Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Blade, discussing why the mapping project exists and what it reveals about this moment in queer media. Later episodes spotlight publishers and editors from across the country, including a conversation between Dallas Voice Publisher Leo Cusimano and Tagg Magazine Publisher Sondra Morris on collaboration between LGBTQ+ outlets.
Episode 7 centers on funding and the future of queer journalism, with Dallas Voice Managing Editor Tammye Nash speaking with Buckeye Flame Editor Ken Schneck and QNotesCarolinas Publisher Jim Yarbrough about sustainability and revenue pressures facing LGBTQ+ outlets.
Philadelphia Gay News Editor Jeremy Rodriguez appears in Episode 4, which examines communities without local LGBTQ+ news coverage. In that episode, Rodriguez speaks with Nicole Leahy of The Community Center in Boise, Idaho, about visibility, connection and the consequences of the absence of dedicated queer journalism.
Piccoli anchors the conversations across seven episodes with a focus on sustainability and shared strategy, allowing newsroom leaders to speak candidly about the pressures they face and the adaptations underway. The result is not only a documentation of the current media landscape, but a clear articulation of what local LGBTQ+ journalism requires to endure.
Across outlets covering the launch, a consistent theme emerges: LGBTQ+ media is both deeply local and structurally vulnerable. Philadelphia Gay News described the series as examining “the growing challenges facing local queer journalism,” including financial strain, safety concerns and audience demand for reliable reporting. The Buckeye Flame described the show as exploring “queer news deserts, shrinking revenues, safety and reporting under threat, collaboration, leadership and the growing need for philanthropy and reader support to sustain local queer journalism.”
In a September 2025 column about the Mapping Project, Baim wrote that philanthropy has historically provided limited support to LGBTQ+ media in part because most outlets operate as for-profit businesses. “But now that more funders see a need to support local for-profit media, this could open up an opportunity to support more of these outlets,” she wrote.
The Mapping Project also found increased willingness among LGBTQ+ outlets to collaborate across editorial and business lines. But as Baim noted, such efforts require time and resources.
“The Map of Us” positions those realities in conversation rather than isolation. By pairing research findings with firsthand accounts from newsroom leaders, the podcast documents not only where LGBTQ+ media exists, but what it takes to sustain it.
All seven episodes of “The Map of Us” are streaming now at https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/02/03/the-map-of-us-the-lgbtq-media-mapping-podcast/ and major podcast platforms.
The full LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project report and interactive map is available here https://newsisout.com/lgbtq-media-mapping/ .