Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Communications
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Mark Tremayne
Second Advisor
Mengqi (Monica) Zhan
Third Advisor
Erika Pribanic-Smith
Abstract
Public debates over LGBTQ+ issues have intensified in the United States in recent years, placing news media at the center of conflicts over representation, fairness, and credibility. While a substantial body of research has analyzed how LGBTQ+ people are portrayed in news coverage, far less attention has been paid to how LGBTQ+ audiences themselves evaluate that coverage. Understanding these perceptions is increasingly important as declining trust in journalism intersects with political polarization and ongoing policy debates surrounding LGBTQ+ rights. This study examines how generational cohorts and gender identity shape LGBTQ+ audiences’ perceptions of news coverage quality, perceived media hostility, and trust in news outlets.
Drawing on framing theory and hostile media perception research, this study analyzes survey data from 249 LGBTQ+ adults in the United States recruited through the Prolific platform. Respondents evaluated news coverage using established measures of credibility and hostile media perception.
The findings reveal significant variation within LGBTQ+ audiences. Older cohorts report higher perceived news representation quality and lower perceptions of media hostility, while younger cohorts express more critical evaluations of coverage. Transgender and nonbinary respondents perceived significantly greater hostility in news coverage than cisgender respondents, although gender identity does not significantly predict perceived coverage quality. Perceptions of coverage quality and bias strongly predict trust in non-LGBTQ+ general media, whereas trust in LGBTQ+-specific outlets appears more closely tied to identity-biased affiliation.
These results extend hostile media perception research by demonstrating how identity and generational experiences shape evaluations of journalism within marginalized communities. The findings suggest that improving representation quality and reducing perceived bias may play a crucial role in strengthening trust between LGBTQ+ audiences and mainstream news media.
Keywords
LGBTQ+, gender identity, news coverage, framing theory, hostile media theory, perceived news representation quality
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Le, Dang H., "Pride and Portrayal: The Effects of Gender Identity and Generational Cohort on LGBTQ+ Perceptions of Media Coverage" (2026). Communication Theses-Archive. 69.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/communication_theses/69