For the first time, GLAAD has rated a
broadcast network's LGBT programming as Excellent.
In its ninth and final annual Network
Responsibility Index (NRI), GLAAD gave Fox a grade of Excellent for
its LGBT-inclusive content.
“This milestone highlights real
change across the media landscape – especially considering that
[Fox] received a 'Failing' grade in the NRI's first two editions,”
GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis said in announcing this
year's report, which covers programming aired between June 2014 and
May 2015.
Fox joins ABC Family in earning the
group's highest marks.
Rated Good were ABC, CW, FX, HBO, MTV
and Showtime, while NBC, CBS, TLC, TNT and USA received a grade of
Adequate.
A&E and History received a Failing
grade.
This is the last NRI report GLAAD will
publish but the group will continue its Where We Are On TV,
Studio Responsibility Index and Transgender Images on TV
reports.
“As representations of LGBT people in
the media continue to rise in number, pushing television networks to
make those representations more diverse is more crucial than ever.
This requires a different set of tools than the NRI provides, and as
such GLAAD will shift focus to its annual TV diversity and
transgender reports,” Ellis explained.