The World Cup has forced the media to scrutinise the poor LGBTQ+ rights record of the Gulf state. How can coverage continue beyond the sports event?
Subscribe to the Journalism.co.uk podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify
The biggest sporting event in the world is now taking place with the football World Cup 2022 in Qatar. With so many eyes on the country, a lot of media attention is focused on the poor human rights, migrants' rights and LGBTQ+ rights record.
It is the latter one we zone in on in this episode: Qatar is an Islamic country where same-sex relations are illegal and punishable with jail time. This is easy to criticise, but the truth is attitudes towards LGBTQ+ communities in the UK, especially within sports media, also deserve scrutiny.
We speak to freelance sports commentator, presenter and journalist Michael McCann this week about keeping up the pressure of demanding better coverage of LGBTQ+ communities on both sides.
McCann is bisexual and he worked for Qatari sports broadcaster beIN Sports between 2018 - 2019. He came out a year later. McCann speaks about how, like many LGBQT+ workers in the country, he kept his sexuality hidden while working there.
He reveals to us that there is an LGBTQ+ community in Qatar living in hiding, who he managed to make connections with and pass some of them to journalism colleagues for news stories. The bottom line is that there are many important stories to be told long after the World Cup is lifted - if we employ the right approach.
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Sign up to receive job alerts of your choice by email, or manage your subscription
Featured recruiter: click to view its vacancies
Newsquest Media Group seek an NCTJ-qualified journalist with newsroom experience and a sound knowledge of media law
Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news, tips, jobs and more
End that deadline stress today and find help in our freelance directory
Cargo Force stuns the world: free 10kg shipping to India in celebration of ICC Trophy victory – offer ongoing until Sunday, 16 March!
Our 35th Newsrewired conference will be held 13 May 2025, News UK, London.
Balance quality content with strategic growth
A new report by FT Strategies and smartocto reveals how newsrooms are increasing relevance, engagement and revenue by focusing on why readers consume news rather than what journalists think is important
The Scandinavian media company is using innovative tools, including bullet-pointed explainers embedded in crime stories, to rebuild trust among young audiences and counter growing news avoidance
How do the likes of DER SPIEGEL and L'Equipe turn fly-by readers into loyal subscribers? The Audiencer's Madeleine White dives into top case studies, best practices and benchmarks
