Truth telling in trans coverage: Inside Assigned Media with Evan Urquhart

As misinformation about transgender people proliferates, one journalist is building a fact-based alternative to mainstream narratives.

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Nov 13, 2024

When Evan Urquhart started cold-emailing editors with pitch ideas in 2012, often after having a beer or two and convincing himself he could do opinion journalism better than professional pundits, he never imagined he'd become one of the most important voices in transgender media coverage. But a decade after Slate’s June Thomas “improbably called my bluff” on one of those pitches, Urquhart has established himself as a crucial fact checker of mainstream media’s trans coverage.

In October 2022, frustrated by major outlets’ reluctance to dedicate resources to covering trans issues despite their increasing political significance, Urquhart launched Assigned Media, a news site focused on fact checking and combating misinformation about transgender people. Now, as a Knight Science Journalism fellow at MIT, the writer is examining how the U.S. court system treats medical evidence, viewed through the lens of the upcoming Supreme Court case evaluating the constitutionality of gender-affirming care bans.

In this edition of Depth Perception, we spoke with the Massachusetts-based Urquhart about building an independent media outlet from scratch, the challenges of covering difficult topics for vulnerable communities, and why — despite the industry’s struggles — he remains optimistic about journalism’s future. —Parker Molloy

Blue text on a white background that reads “LEADING QUESTIONS”

How did Assigned Media come into existence?

In the summer of 2022, I began making the case to a couple different news outlets that, because trans issues were the top political and legislative priority of one of the two major parties in the United States, they should put me on staff as a dedicated writer covering that beat. No one actually did, but there was enough interest to convince me I was on to something.

After I got the final no on a staff writing position I’d pinned my hopes on, that night I was in bed mulling it over. I had the thought, “Maybe I should just... do it.” I found I couldn't let go of the idea, and eventually it became Assigned Media.

What are some of the challenges of running Assigned?

Feuding with the New York Times is a challenge to the prospect of my having a career after this. Finding funding is a perennial challenge. But I’d say my biggest challenge is writing trans news that doesn’t make trans people want to give up in difficult times. We have humor on the site, we have a monthly comic with a focus on visuals and positive news, and we do interviews with activists and other inspiring people. And all of that is a result of us holding Assigned to a standard of giving the community and our allies the truth, no sugar coating, but also showing them their own power and strength, and holding a mirror up to how we as a community are resisting through humor and activism and also just by refusing to go quietly, however bad things may get.

Why did you become a journalist?

I don’t know! It wasn’t a decision. I got my start emailing editors cold, you know?

I was just a fan. I would consume hours of print journalism every day because I just loved it so much. I never missed an episode of On the Media. NPR’s journalism was the background for my life. So, of course, today I have a lot more of a critical lens for the failings of the profession 10 years in, but I still love journalism. I’m the fan who got pulled up onstage to play with the band.

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What story of yours are you proudest of?

I think I should probably mention my story behind the scenes of a New York Times reporter’s interactions with families of trans youth. That’s the Assigned story people who don’t even know who I am may have read.

But, I think I'm probably prouder of this story, which led Heidi, the main source for the [aforementioned] story, to reach out.

You see, a New York Times story claimed they’d partially confirmed the allegations of a former worker at a youth gender clinic in St. Louis, even though the parents of patients had been saying “This is nonsense, none of this happened.” So, for my story, I just went through the actual allegations, and all the reporting, and laid out for people what had or hadn’t been confirmed.

I had noticed this weird reluctance by the mainstream media to just describe the content of these truly shocking allegations to their readers. A story would say “We confirmed some of this, but not all of it, and at least one allegation was proven to be false.” But they would avoid saying, specifically, the allegation that the clinic was threatening and coercing parents? That one is completely unconfirmed, no evidence we’ve found supports it at all. And the allegation that the clinic’s therapists referred youth to the ER if they were suicidal? Yeah, that one, which isn't really even an allegation of wrongdoing, more of a statement about how therapists work, we confirmed that.

So, by doing this extremely basic analysis, going through the allegations one by one and saying what the status of each one is, that was what built trust so these families who had been burned by a reporter with an agenda felt like they could tell their stories to someone who’d treat them fairly, not spin things to fit a narrative.

What’s the best journalistic career advice you ever received?

[Podcaster] Michael Hobbes told me that if I did good work, consistently, that would matter and audiences would pick up on it and it would lead to success. No one ever tells you that. Maybe it's not even true, but I choose to act as if it is, because one of the few things I can actually control is just showing up and doing good work, day after day.

“Today I have a lot more of a critical lens for the failings of the profession 10 years in, but I still love journalism. I’m the fan who got pulled up onstage to play with the band.”
—Evan Urquhart

What’s a widely accepted journalistic rule or norm that you hate?

The norm I hate is an unspoken but widespread norm of writing for other journalists or insiders, not for a general audience.

A piece that leaves the audience confused or wrong about the basic facts of the matter is a failed piece. Seems like such a basic, obvious point, right? But what journalists are really doing when they hedge their language or engage in false balance is hiding the truth from the audience for the sake of their rep in the industry. And, that’s wrong. Because we’re not here to impress other journalists, we’re here to serve the audience. We’re here to give them the information they need to understand their world.

If your story leaves people in your audience who are new to the topic confused and unsure about the basic facts of the topic, your story has failed to do the only thing it exists to do. I’m sorry if that seems harsh on a lot of highly successful people in the industry, but it’s just the truth.

What makes you hopeful for the future of journalism?

People have always, and will always, need someone trustworthy who goes and finds out the truth about what’s happening in the world, and then comes back and shares the story. We call it journalism, but it’s about a need people have for information beyond what they can directly access themselves.

All the counterfeit versions of news sites spewing misinformation, all the difficulties with finding sustainable business models, these are very real, they’re dangerous, and I wouldn’t downplay that. But I think sometimes people in our industry panic a little too much. Our work is valuable. It is important. People care about it. It may take some time to figure out a new stable model that works, but I have faith that we will find it because I have faith in the work.

Truth telling in trans coverage: Inside Assigned Media with Evan Urquhart

As misinformation about transgender people proliferates, one journalist is building a fact-based alternative to mainstream narratives.

Official Selection: “The Promised Land” to screen at The Veterans Film Festival in LA

Further reading from Evan Urquhart

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