Jeffrey Schmalz inducted into LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame; former New York Times reporter covered HIV/AIDS before his death in 1993

Jeffrey Schmalz, a New York Times reporter and editor who covered HIV/AIDS before he died in 1993, was inducted into the LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame at its annual conference for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.

Jeffrey spent two decades in the Times newsroom. He first joined The Times as a night copy assistant in 1973 while he was studying at Columbia University. He became a regional editor and a Metro news reporter before being named Albany bureau chief in 1986. Two years later, he joined the National desk as Miami bureau chief, then became deputy editor on National.

In 1990, Jeffrey collapsed at his desk from a brain seizure. That was how he discovered he had AIDS.

From his Times obituary: “Returning to work after a year of battling AIDS-related illnesses, he persuaded his editors to allow him to cover AIDS and gay issues. His writing gained him national attention as he brought readers into the world of gay politics and of people with AIDS in a blunt and sometimes startling way.”

Before he died, Jeffrey wrote a personal essay for Week in Review, “Covering AIDS and Living It,” about wrestling with his own mortality, how the disease changed his relationship with sources and the tension between independent journalism and advocacy.

The NLGJA announcement said, “He wrote powerful articles on the human impact of the disease, challenging ignorance and pushing journalism forward,” adding he left “behind a legacy of courage, empathy, and groundbreaking journalism.”