One of the nation’s biggest broadcast TV companies has received a perfect score on the just-released 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
It’s also been designated as one of the best places to work for those who identify themselves as LGBTQ.
That honor did not fall to iHeartMedia.
TEGNA is the company getting a perfect score on the CEI, produced by the pro-LGBTQ non-profit group Human Rights Campaign.
The CEI is considered to be the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.
TEGNA has been a stand-out company, and is designated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality for the third consecutive year.
Dave Lougee, President/CEO of TEGNA, the company formerly known as Gannett, said, “TEGNA is committed to hiring and developing an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are proud to be named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality for a third straight year and of the purpose-driven work our diverse employees do to serve the greater good and make a difference.”
The 2019 CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.
TEGNA’s top marks are the result of a lengthy commitment to LGBTQ causes and action. For instance, the TEGNA Foundation has supported the Washington AIDS Partnership since 1992. The TEGNA Foundation is also an active supporter of the Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, the Latin American Youth Center’s LGBTQ Stripes program and LGBTQ focused causes in TEGNA’s local markets. This support includes Seattle-based COLAGE, an organization uniting people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents into a network of peers and supporting them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in local communities.
TEGNA’s perfect score isn’t an anomoly: In the 2019 CEI report, 571 major businesses — spanning nearly every industry and geography — earned a top score of 100 percent and the distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” Among the other media companies scoring 100 are CBS Corp., The Walt Disney Co., FOX Corporation, and Univision Communications.
How do some of the other top media companies compare to TEGNA?
The nation’s top owner of radio stations, iHeartMedia, received a score of 60.
Why did iHeart lose points?
The company does not offer equivalency in same- and different-sex spousal medical
and soft benefits, nor does it offer equivalency in same- and different sex domestic partner medical and soft benefits.
Further, iHeart was found to be deficient in “three distinct efforts of outreach or engagement to broader LGBTQ community.” If a supplier diversity program is in place, it must include LGBTQ suppliers, HRC criteria states.
Lastly, iHeart did not meet HRC criteria for its contractor/supplier non-discrimination
standards and philanthropic giving guidelines.
For more information on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index, visit www.hrc.org/cei.
