More about
DeafNewsToday 

Former CNN anchor and integrated journalism professor Stephen Goforth created DeafNewsToday (DNT). 

What led you to create DNT?

I started DeafNewsToday in 2001 after taking an HTML class while I was working at CNN. Our instructor suggested that we use what we had learned to create a website based on what we had learned in the class. So I decided to create a site focused on gathering information from unbiased news outlets relevant to Deaf Culture. The first site was built from scratch. In 2007, I moved the material to a Google Blogger account. It received more than 3 million pageviews, according to Google. Finally, I moved to Wix in 2021.

Since you are hearing, what got you interested in news related to the deaf and hard of hearing? 

I was surprised, early in my journalism career, that I couldn’t find a news outlet focused on Deaf Culture. My website and social media posts are a small attempt to address this void. The reason I was looking for a deaf news outlet is that I am one of the many people who have come in contact with the Deaf Community over the course of my life and learned to appreciate the depth and rich culture it offers. One of those people was a deaf man in his 70s who spent one summer living with me. I saw him struggle through daily interactions with the hearing community. He was often misunderstood by impatient people and sometimes ignored. The site is for him. It’s also for the friend who chose to let her child have a cochlear implant — and for another friend who decided to have her cochlear implant removed. DeafNewsToday is for my good friend, who is a CODA and built a sign language interpreting agency to serve the deaf community in which she grew up. I'm doing it for my deaf friend who works in church ministry, who shares his faith with others. DeafNewsToday is for the hopeful faces looking toward the future that I saw at one of Gallaudet’s graduation ceremonies. It's for the audiologists and parents, and students who write me appreciative notes and those who work with the deaf every day — and even for those who don't know anything about Deaf Culture but want to learn. The goal is to provide quality information and make a difference in these people's lives. I am learning a lot as well.

 

Does DeafNewsToday contain original reporting?

 

Instead of original reporting, DeafNewsToday is an aggregation site. In other words, instead of doing interviews myself, I pull together information from reputable news sites, looking for stories of special interest to the Deaf Community. The fact that I like to a news article on the site does not mean I agree with what is presented in the article. The goal is to tell readers what is being published and let them come to their own conclusions. 

What if someone has questions about a post or if there is a mistake?

Questions and suggestions are welcome. Feel free to write. Just scroll down to Drop Me a Line.