It's a big deal that any independent media outlet can mark a significant anniversary this year, as the COVID pandemic has put extra strain on publications in an already tough industry.
It's even more of a feat for an outlet covering queer news and culture. On this week's Out in the Bay podcast and radio program, news editor Cynthia Laird and publisher Michael Yamashita recount the Bay Area Reporter's founding 50 years ago, high and low points of queer civil rights reflected in the B.A.R.'s coverage, and the challenges of staying alive and vibrant today.
The Bay Area Reporter started in 1971 as a gossipy "bar rag" biweekly newspaper covering San Francisco's gay bar culture and grew over the decades into a nationally important LGBTQ news