This webinar will teach journalists how to thoughtfully, accurately and ethically report stories about gender and sports on the local level. 

During the 2021 legislative session, seven states passed laws that restrict transgender athletes’ ability to participate on sports teams that match their gender identity; dozens more states introduced similar bills in 2021 that didn’t pass.

Poynter faculty and senior adviser Joie Chen will talk with ESPN reporter Katie Barnes about legislative developments across the United States, best practices when reporting on gender identity and kids, and lessons they learned from reporting on this topic for years. Their reporting includes the battle over Title IX and who gets to be a woman in sports, a cover story about Layshia Clarendon, the WNBA’s first openly nonbinary and transgender player, and an article about young transgender athletes caught in middle of states’ debates and athletic association policies.

Questions are welcome throughout conversation, and there will be time at the end of the webinar for a Q&A with all the guests. 

Cost: Free, thanks to support from the Google News Initiative in cooperation with the JSK Journalism Fellowships.