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Lou Chibbaro Washington Blade senior reporter files (Washington Blade donation)

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MS2245

Collection Scope and Content

This collection contains the reporter records for Lou Chibbaro. The materials date from 1980-2001 with the bulk in the 1990s. The subjects covered are extremely varied and reflect the interests of the Gay and Lesbian community in Washington DC for approximately a twenty-year time span. These subjects include AIDS, political action, legal battles, celebrities, military service, hate crimes, and religion.

Dates

  • 1980-2001

Restrictions on Access

Every folder in this collection has been review by Special Collections staff. Staff have removed any documents with the designations "off the record" or "not for attribution". Any documents found with either of these designations is closed for 50 years from date of creation. If no date of creation was identified the date of donation was used. A separation form has been placed in the file and the restricted documents are currently in a parallel filing system in a restricted box.

In the case of entire interviews marked "not for attribution", the Special Collections staff may on occasion make photocopies of the original and redact the names of the individual(s) providing the information. When a patron finds a separation sheet that indicates the document was marked "not for attribution" please inquire about receiving a redacted copy. The redacted copy will then be placed in the publicly available folder.

If the "not for attribution" restriction only covered a portion of the interview then the closed portion will be treated as the "off the record" documents are treated and will remain closed for 50 years from date of creation. This will ensue the privacy of the interviewee.

Restrictions on Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical or Biographical Note

First published in 1969, The Washington Blade has grown becoming the weekly news source for Washington’s large and visible Gay community. The Blade has been recognized by The Society of Professional Journalists, The American Bar Association, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and others, as a highly professional news organization.

Lou Chibbaro, Jr. officially joined the staff of the Blade as a full-time news reporter in 1984, but he had been writing for the Blade as a freelance writer since 1977. He has covered many beats for the Blade including the federal agencies, elections, the Supreme Court, Congress and the White House. His reporting has focused on gay civil rights, and gay rights legislation. He has also written about crime and criminal trials involving anti-gay violence and hate crimes.

Parts of this biog/hist taken from the Washington Blade website

Extent

36.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

These are the reporters notes for Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. The materials date from 1980-2001.

Collection Organization

Currently arranged in alphabetical order using the orginal folder titles supplied by the donor.

Physical Location

Materials may be stored off-site, and may require additional retrieval time. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Washington Blade 2008 (Accession 2008.003)

Related Materials

Special Collections also holds a second collection of Lou Chibbaro's Washington Blade reporter files, which were donated by Lou Chibbaro in 2020. That collection is MS2395, Lou Chibbaro Washington Blade senior reporter files (Lou Chibbaro donation). The dates and topics included in this collection may also appear within MS2395--researchers should consult both collections, especially if they are looking for a specific date range or news story.

External Related Collections: At the DC Public Library, The People's Archive: Researchers can access digitized versions of The Blade through DCPL's online resources. Not all years are available online, but some maybe available in physical versions. Washington Blade

At the Library of Congress: Lilli Vincenz papers finding aid . In 1969 along with Nancy Tucker created the independent newspaper, the Gay Blade, which later became the Washington Blade.

Processing Information

This finding aid was revised in 2022 to address homophobic descriptive language. During that revision, description was not changed or edited, but additional information was provided to add context. A Processing Information Note was added to folder 19 of box 27. providing contextual information about the terminology and why staff retained it. This is a version of the finding aid prior to this revision work Pre-revision Feb. 2022 finding aid of Washington Blade Lou Chibbaro senior reporter files

Title
Preliminary Guide to the Lou Chibbaro Washington Blade senior reporter files (Washington Blade donation), 1980-2001
Status
Folder Inventory
Author
Finding aid prepared by Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
Date
2007
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Revision Statements

  • 2022 March 08: Finding aid revised to include contextual information about the homophobic descriptive language found within this collection. See the processing note for more information

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository

Contact:
2130 H Street NW
Washington 20052 United States of America