Fox & ABC Family Get 'Excellent' Rating From GLAAD for Network Responsibility
ABC Family and Fox earned a top rating from GLAAD for their 9th and last Network Responsibility Index on Thursday.
The nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy organization gave a grade of "excellent" to the two networks (the third such grade for ABC Family and the first for Fox), which air such shows as The Fosters and Empire, respectively.
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The distinction marked a milestone for Fox, which received a failing grade in the inaugural NRI in 2006. This time around, Fox became the first major broadcast network to receive such a high grade.
"This milestone highlights real change across the media landscape," said GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis.
Fox's breakout show Empire features Jussie Smollett, who plays budding gay R&B star Jamal Lyon, while ABC Family's The Fosters took home Outstanding Drama Series at last year's GLAAD Awards. Previously, Fox was praised for their representation of the LGBT community in Glee.
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The NRI, which will end its trailblazing report to focus on increased diversity and LGBT representation, examined original primetime programming on all five broadcast networks and 10 cable networks. The rest of the grades came out as follows.
Good: ABC, CW, FX, HBO, MTV, Showtime
Adequate: CBS, NBC, TLC, TNT, USA
Failing: A&E, History